A Fateful Experiment!
by ShinigamiXtreme
Summary: Mayuri develops a dimension-travelling machine and tricks Ichigo so he can force him to enter it and gather data. Now Ichigo is trapped in an unknown world until the scientist decides to bring him back. There,he will come across one of his biggest dilemmas,and be called to fight a threat that endangers the entire dimension. (Slight possibility of 2 more triangles in the future)
1. Chapter 1

-Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario + Vampire. They belong to their respective owners.-

a=Narration and descriptions

"a"=Dialogues

_a_=Inner voices or thoughts

**a**=Intense dialogues

**The story takes place sometime after the Xcution Arc and Rosario's epilogue.**

**Truth to be told, I wanted to use Bleach's latest Arc, but I'm really poor in material and from the look of things, we have quite some time till we see all the stuff I need to know. Also, in his new state Ichigo could just sweep everyone clean with a single strike, so the action would be too short. **

**Another thing is that I would be forced to delay ****a lot**** my updates to wait for the manga's progression. Now I can update more leisurely since I have all the material I require and in addition, there won't be as many power balances as with my other fic. Here I'm gonna distribute everything Ichigo has gained till that point without roundabouts.**

**Finally, there might be a bit of OOCness in some cases, but it's necessary to bridge the two series together and create the connections between the chars, so I humbly ask of you to show some understanding.**

**Now, have a pleasant reading and enjoy!**

* * *

**1: Let the experiment begin!**

* * *

It was a usual day in Soul Society, and as always, everyone was in the middle of peacefully fulfilling their daily duties with a radiant smile decorating their faces.

The sole person not as pleased as the rest of the Soul Society's community was the captain of Seireitei's 12th Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was currently brooding inside his lab, accompanied by his loyal lieutenant and man-made daughter.

The reason for that state of his was that he had constructed a new invention, which had the ability to open portals to other worlds, but no one was willing to become a volunteer, and according to their laws, he couldn't force anyone either.

''Hmph! Incompetent cowards! How small can their insignificant brains be to not realize the greatness of my plan?'' he snorted, sitting on a chair, his right fingers touching his forehead in irritation. He tried to convince many soldiers to step inside his machine and travel to another dimension to gather information, but he failed miserably.

However, he would soon discover that his luck hadn't abandoned him yet.

''HEEEY! IS ANYONE HERE?'' The voice of the well-known Substitute Soul Reaper was heard echoing suddenly across the lab's main hallway. Apparently, he entered the place and was searching for its workers.

Hearing it, the mad scientist reacted indifferently in the beginning, since he wasn't in the mood for visitors... but a second later, an interesting thought crossed his sharp mind and he grinned mischievously.

''Hehehe... Maybe there's still a solution to our problem,'' he snickered, rubbing his hands together and calling next his lieutenant closely to whisper something to her right ear.

* * *

A few minutes later...

After some wandering around, Ichigo finally noticed Mayuri inside of a half-open door, and without further ado, walked to the interior.

''Long time no see, Kurotsuchi-san!'' he waved at him cheerfully while approaching him with a medium-sized box in his right arm.

Alerted from his voice that he had arrived, the mad scientist turned to him with an annoyed expression. ''What's your reason for bothering me during my busy schedule?'' he responded after laying his eyes upon the orange-haired teen.

He was a man famous not only for his lunatic ideas, but also for his generally eccentric character, so a behavior like that wasn't such a surprise. Thankfully for him, Ichigo was well aware of that to not be affected by his words. Instead, he raised the box to his chest's height, presenting it to Mayuri.

''What is this?'' Mayuri asked with a doubtful stare.

To answer him, Ichigo opened it with his other hand, grinning and explaining to him that Urahara had asked of him to deliver a few samples of some new reiatsu enhancement pills he had developed, and that he needed Mayuri to give them a test run.

''Tch! That man surely has a lot of nerve, treating me as an assistant of his!'' Mayuri frowned, but ultimately had to accept the box due to his curiosity as a scientist. Urahara Kisuke was a pain in the ass for him, but his scientific findings were top-notch and no one could deny that. ''Just leave it on that table,'' he indicated to Ichigo dryly, pointing at a big table across the room.

''Got it!'' Ichigo replied and placed it there carefully, getting ready afterwards to leave... Or so he thought!

Without a warning, Mayuri grabbed his right shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

''What's the matter?'' he asked Mayuri, wondering about the purpose of that action.

''Since you interrupted me in the middle of my work, I think you could be kind enough to help me with a little something,'' Mayuri told him in a tone that revealed that he wasn't really asking for it, but rather demanding it.

''Ehh… I'm in a hurry, so…'' Ichigo tried to avoid it, fearing what Mayuri had in his absurd mind. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be so lucky. Guessing what he was about to say, Mayuri tightened his grip on his shoulder and narrowed his eyes dangerously, implying that he wouldn't take ''no'' for an answer. Ichigo could always shake him off by force, since he was pestering him, but that would put him into trouble, so his only option was the least pleasant one. ''Haa… Fine… if it's for a little while…''

That reply brought a smirk to Mayuri's face and prompted him to pull out of his right pocket a tiny device and hand it over to Ichigo, ordering him to adjust it inside of one of his ears.

''What on earth is this?'' The teen asked him, examining the device. He had agreed to go along with Mr. Madman's request, but using one of his suspicious gadgets and, moreover, inserting it inside of his body, was **way** outside his comfort zone.

''Shh! No needless chit-chat! Do what I said, and stand in that spot,'' Mayuri ordered him a second time, pointing at a place near the wall behind Ichigo. Not the best method to convince someone to follow your words, but that was who Mayuri was anyway, so there was no helping it.

If Ichigo desired to get the game over with, he had to obey until the mad scientist was satisfied enough to let him go without causing a scene. And that was exactly what he did! He plugged the device Mayuri had given him deep into his right ear, feeling a small sting for some reason, and standing right where Mayuri showed him. His annoyance about the entire situation could be distinguished easily from his facial expressions, but for peace's sake, he had to be patient.

''Am I good here?'' Ichigo asked Mayuri to confirm if he was standing in the right spot.

As an answer, the scientist gestured to him ''fine'' by making a circle with his left thumb and index finger and approached a large computer, typing something on its keyboard. That caused a machine slightly resembling a phone booth inside of the wall behind Ichigo to pop out and open its glass doors widely.

''Huh? Where did this come from?'' The Substitute Soul Reaper questioned, currently at a loss. He couldn't guess what was happening, but as it seemed, there was more to Mayuri's request than met the eye. The problem was that he wouldn't have the chance to figure it out in time.

''NEMU!'' Mayuri called out suddenly, giving his hidden lieutenant the green light to jump from a secret hideout inside of another wall right into Ichigo's chest, kicking him towards the machine's interior.

A second later, its doors closed fast, trapping Ichigo like a mouse.

''**THE HELL! **LET ME OUT! HEAR ME, KUROTSUCHI-SAN? LET ME OUT, DAMMIT!'' Ichigo started yelling in frustration, but Mayuri paid no attention to him, grinning and pressing a large button on the keyboard. With that, the machine's interior began glowing a bright white light, swallowing Ichigo's figure whole. ''WAAAH!'' A loud cry was heard then within the light, implying that Mayuri's invention had gotten to business concerning the unfortunate teenager.

A kind of business Ichigo was bound to find out about soon, and not under the best possible circumstances.

* * *

Seconds later…

Above a forest near a crimson ocean, a round, white portal opened in the sky, throwing out Ichigo in a crashing course with the ground. Realizing it and not wishing for any troublesome bumps on his head, he swiftly used his shunpo, running through the air and landing down smoothly. Recovering from that, he surveyed the area around him in hopes of getting an idea of his location.

Hopes that didn't take too long to be crushed!

''Where the heck am I?'' he wondered in confusion, several drops of sweat appearing on his face. Ichigo was familiar with a lot of places in and out of his town, but that scenery around him was utterly unknown.

Naturally, this caused him insecurity… Insecurity and great anger! He was feeling half anxious because of the situation he was in, and half enraged because of Mayuri's underhanded trick to force him into participating in whatever he had on his mind.

''**Damn him! **When I get back, that lunatic's up for the worst beating of his life**!**'' he proclaimed, a deep scowl forming on his face and his fists clenched furiously. ''**Just wait till I get ba—**'' he attempted to add before the tiny device in his ear sent a faint electric shock to his brain, forcing him to stop his speech midway.

And that **wasn't** all!

Following the slight shock, for a strange reason Mayuri's voice echoed inside Ichigo's head in a grumpy tone. ''Why don't you make yourself useful by doing something more productive than foolishly threatening my life, Kurosaki Ichigo?''

From the look of things, what Mayuri had given him to plug into his ear was an advanced type of inter-dimensional transmitter.

''**YOU BASTARD! **HOW COULD YOU? I TRUSTED YOU!'' Ichigo yelled angrily, touching his ear.

An action that was quite meaningless as proven a minute later.

''Hn! Your trust holds no value to me compared to the scientific discoveries I'm bound to make by sending you to another dimension.'' Mayuri replied to him indifferently from his end of the line. He was a man dedicated to science, so everything unrelated to that came last as a priority for him.

''Another… WHAT?!'' Ichigo questioned, dumbstruck and wide-eyed. He was feeling quite uneasy already about his whereabouts, but what he just heard multiplied the situation's severity tenfold.

As for Mayuri, paying no heed to his victim's disturbance, he nonchalantly began explaining to him his brilliant, as he called it, plan about making new discoveries in foreign dimensions... How he had decided to give Ichigo the privilege of becoming a hero of the scientific world by testing his invention on him… the transmitter's purpose, which was to send back audio and images to his lab by connecting to the poor teen's brain… the fact that it could be removed solely by surgery… and the electric shock's function that was added to ensure that his volunteer wouldn't ruin the mission. Also, as a result of Ichigo's absence, Mayuri would send back to his body a special Mod Soul, infused with all the data he had collected on his character, so no one could find out about the experiment. Well, Urahara Kisuke was an exception, but as long as the copy didn't approach him, everything would be all right.

''I think this is enough. Even someone as simple-minded as you couldn't possibly have difficulties to comprehend your role, Kurosaki Ichigo... Now our little discussion's over. I have other things to attend to, and you must do your job like a proper test subject,'' Mayuri claimed casually and the next second cut off the communication between them with a simple "click."

Realizing that, Ichigo flinched, leaving behind his momentary confusion.

''NO! WAIT! **FUCK,** YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!'' Ichigo yelled, but with no response coming from the other end of the line. Mayuri had thrown him into the most absurd situation he could, and he abandoned Ichigo there all alone with not a single qualm. When he returned, the mad scientist was as good as dead. ''AARRGG! **THAT MANIAC!** IF I GET MY HANDS ON HIM, HE'S SO SCREWED! I SWEAR, HE'S FINISHED…!'' he growled in utter frustration.

And he would undoubtedly have continued his rant if it wasn't for a series of female voices coming unexpectedly from his right, cutting his delirium short and drawing his attention.

''Wow! Did you see that guy with the weird clothes? He talks to himself.''

''He must be messed up in the head.''

Two girls of a group of three were heard discussing among themselves while staring at Ichigo with a disturbed expression. They wore a school uniform consisting of a green jacket, a white shirt beneath it, a red ribbon a little below their necks, a light-brown plaid skirt, long white socks and black shoes. Additionally, they each carried a dark brown briefcase.

''Who cares about that! **He's armed!** Better run for it before he kills us.'' The third girl suggested in panic.

Upon hearing that suggestion, her two friends realized instantly that she was actually right, and without further ado, all three of them ran hastily towards an unknown destination. Behind them, Ichigo was left pondering what that was all about.

''Hey, were those three really able to see me? Could it be that they have high spiritual awareness?'' Ichigo wondered, gazing skeptically at the direction the girls fled to. Normally, the ones capable of seeing him in his Soul Reaper form were generally other spiritual beings and a few exceptions... Were they some of those exceptions? The only way to answer that question was to tail them and do a little investigation, he concluded.

In any case, he didn't know what to expect from that dimension's people and if by any chance they were hostile and they could all see him, he had to devise a strategy to move around without alerting anyone of his presence.

* * *

Several minutes later…

After following the path the girls took by jumping from tree to tree to not be as visible as on the ground, simultaneously getting a raw idea of that world's structure, Ichigo arrived at the forest's exit, finding himself in front of a building of slightly medieval architecture. A building that, from the looks of it, was a school, according to all the young people assembled near it, wearing school uniforms like the ones he saw on the girls earlier and a male version replacing the ribbon with a tie and the skirt with pants. Also, everyone was carrying the same type of briefcase.

''Well, look at that! Wherever I go, school haunts me,'' Ichigo joked with a nostalgic smile, sitting on the large branch of a tall tree. Whatever changes his life had undergone within the past two years, he was still a third-year in high school. ''So, here I am, but I'm still not sure how to approach those fellas. It seems that they have never met a Soul Reaper before...'' He mumbled to himself, rubbing his chin.

Then, his left ear picked up a number of loud noises coming from beneath him and with his curiosity rising, he lowered his gaze down. By doing so, he witnessed a group of students heading towards the school building. The group consisted of two boys, one his age and one younger, and six girls, four his age and two younger.

Besides the older boy and a girl with long, silver hair and crimson eyes, the students looked very different from the rest of the student body, each sporting a significant number of personal alterations. One of them resembled a little witch, and another one wore a gothic outfit completely unlike the standard uniform. Everyone had different hair colors—half of them being quite flashy—and different hair styles, including one that seemed Chinese.

They were that dimension's respective heroes, Aono Tsukune and his closest friends, who were up to their usual daily routine; the girls—Kokoa excluded—fawning over him, Fong Fong enthusiastically admiring him while he, himself, strived to calm them down.

''Tsukuneee~, hold hands with me today!'' the voluptuous succubus, Kurumu Kurono, pleaded with him playfully, pulling on his jacket's right sleeve.

''No! Tsukune's going to hold hands with me. I'm his future wife,'' the persistent yuki-onna, Mizore Shirayuki, corrected her friend bluntly, mimicking the action on his other sleeve.

''It's not fair! I want to hold hands with Tsukune-san too-desu!'' the young, genius witch, Yukari Sendo, complained childishly, hopping in front of the three of them in protest.

''Aaahh~… Holding hands~… I would also like to try this with Tsukune-san. Though, that feeling of being left out is quite enjoyable in its own special way!'' the gang's other witch, as well as adviser and a big masochist, Ruby Toujou, claimed blissfully with a flustered face due to the incomprehensible pleasure she was experiencing at the moment.

''Please, everyone, why don't we just continue walking to school as we are, eh? Walking alone feels more comfortable, don't you think?'' Tsukune asked the four girls in a desperate attempt to balance the situation between them.

''Yeah! Tsukune is right. Sticking to each other can be quite inconvenient,'' the gorgeous and proud vampire, Moka Akashiya, pointed out in a lecturing tone. Right after that, she lightly pushed Kurumu to the side, grabbing Tsukune's right hand in a swift movement. ''…and if Tsukune is going to hold hands with someone, it should be me,'' she hummed, smiling, which made Tsukune blush.

Naturally, that worsened the situation, driving Kurumu and Mizore to start yelling at her, Moka to respond with a glare and Yukari to increase her complaints. Ruby was simply continuing with her bizarre pleasure inside of her own world.

''Haa… This thing every single morning… Why Onee-sama can't put a stop to this mess by convincing that guy to marry her?'' the younger, bratty sister of Moka, Kokoa Shuzen, huffed in exasperation.

Since she was part of their gang, she had to join them every morning during their walk to school and accordingly keep enduring their unbearable love comedy focused on the other girls' attempts to win over Tsukune's heart. In reality, everyone was aware of the person he truly loved and how pointless their struggles were, but they preferred to turn a blind eye to that in hopes he changed his mind. That was something Kokoa could neither sympathize with, nor tolerate it ruining the rest of her school days. Aono Tsukune had to make a decision at some point about his choice for a lover and he better made it soon, because her temper couldn't withstand more of these mornings.

''Oh, don't be like that, Kokoa-chan! Tsukune-san is a man of high-caliber and as this kind of man, he deserves the love of every woman around him!'' Fong Fong told her with a smile. He was Tsukune's number one male admirer and if he didn't compliment his idol, who would?

''He's not getting mine!'' Kokoa declared to him stubbornly, crossing her arms in front of her chest while continuing her way behind the source of her annoyance and the loud girls around him.

A few meters above them, Ichigo stared down at them with an amazed expression.

''_Whoa! Talk about a bothersome situation… Bet that Keigo would be jealous of that guy for being popular like he's of Mizuiro, but surely, __**not **__me! If this is what you have to face by being a ladies man, count me out!_'' Ichigo commented in his head with his eyes fixed on that noisy group. He hadn't the chance to form a loving relationship until now, and observing Tsukune's hurdles, that idea drifted even farther away from his thoughts. As a Soul Reaper and direct guardian of his town, he had a lot of important responsibilities resting on his shoulders and no time to waste on various girls.

Moreover, that picture didn't sit so well in his mind. For him, dragging so many girls along seemed unmanly. If you were a decent man, you ought to make things clear between your fangirls and state which one was your true love interest.

''_Seriously… I can't understand how someone can choose to live a life like th-_'' he was about to add, but his spiritual senses detected multiple hostile auras scattered amidst the woods across from his current location, leading him to scowl. To whomever those auras belonged, they indicated trouble.

Trouble that didn't take long to show itself…

Before he had the chance to fully analyze the auras' origins, a couple of thin, metallic needles were fired without warning from inside the shadows, heading at lightning speed toward Moka, who was walking beside Tsukune. To her luck, Ichigo used his shunpo to move beside her instantly and block them with his Zangetsu before they made contact.

''Eh?! What happened?'' Moka exclaimed, startled by Ichigo's sudden appearance.

''Who are you?'' Tsukune demanded, feeling confused, a state everyone in his group shared with him during that moment.

''No time to explain! We aren't done yet!'' Ichigo answered hastily.

His statement proved to be quite correct; after the failure of the first wave of needles, a few others followed behind, filling the air like horizontal rain. Of course, Ichigo could handle it with much ease if he was on his own, but he had to protect those people, so his movements were restricted to a short, horizontal line between the needles and their targets.

''**Shit!** They have no end!'' Ichigo cursed, using shunpo consecutively to block with his sword every wave of needles that was coming towards them. He knew where the enemies were, but since he was occupied with blocking the needles, attacking them was out of the question. That irritated him greatly.

Thankfully for him, that uncomfortable position was bound to change in the upcoming minutes…

Witnessing that unknown, young man acting as their shield, Tsukune gestured to the others to assist him. They all nodded in agreement and immediately released their true forms, or weapons in the case of Ruby, Yukari, and Kokoa. Next, the two witches joined their wands together, summoning an indigo magic barrier around the group.

''Huh? What's this?'' Ichigo blinked in astonishment at the wall of energy before him.

''It's our two friends' magic...'' Tsukune explained to him, drawing Ichigo's attention and approaching him in his unarmored Shinso form. ''I don't know who you are, but I must thank you for protecting Moka-san's life. I was careless and I couldn't sense the assault earlier.''

In accordance with Tsukune's words, Moka, who was also in her unarmored Shinso form, performed a slight bow as her own act of appreciation.

''No… Don't mention it. Protecting people is my job.'' Ichigo responded to him in a reserved fashion and turned back to the direction the needles were fired. ''Anyway, we solved the protection problem, but we still have to pull out those rats that keep firing them.''

Hearing him, Tsukune smiled confidently. ''It's okay! You protected us, but we can't have you doing everything on your own. Now it's our turn to take action,'' he claimed and turned back to Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, and Kokoa with a look that implied that it was time for them to counter-attack.

The girls followed his lead and unleashed a series of different techniques that slipped through the barrier right into the needles' firing source. Tsukune's was a large, crimson energy blast delivered with a punch, Moka's was a large, dark violet energy slash through a kick, Kurumu's ten thin, long, pink energy scratches with her nails, Mizore's a small barrage of ice daggers with her ice claws, and Kokoa's some light violet energy arrows through her transforming bat, Kou, who transformed into a bow.

Next, the series of attacks resulted in various parts of the woods to be blown up, revealing the existence of many small, green creatures with long noses and pointy ears holding long peashooters and running around in panic when some of their accomplices laid dead on the ground.

''Goblins...'' Yukari pointed out the instant she laid her eyes upon the green creatures.

''Gob- What?'' Ichigo questioned, at a loss. His knowledge on magic beings wasn't so great, so he was unfamiliar with the goblin's identity.

''Goblins... Earth monsters with small body structure, which live in huge communities and attack in equally huge packs. Their weapon of choice is usually a peashooter with poison needles,'' Ruby informed the puzzled Soul Reaper to enlighten him on their enemies' status.

''Ah… I see… '' Ichigo muttered, thinking that he jumped inside a world of fairy tales due to all the mythical creatures he was seeing around him.

''They must be another team of assassins... **Curses,** we couldn't publish even a single newspaper with all those assaults recently,'' Tsukune remarked, clenching his fists. Having to repel assassins repeatedly from the day someone put a price on his head, he and his friends hadn't a single chance to enjoy a peaceful school day, or perform any club activities.

''Well, there's no need to sweat, Tsukune! We took care of the previous assassins, so we'll take care of these, too,'' Moka reassured him then with a smile, approaching him and gently placing her right palm on his left shoulder. The gesture soothed his anger and returned him back to his usual, composed self.

''Thank you, Moka-san!'' Tsukune thanked her with a relieved smile and to his fangirls' disappointment, returned the gesture by placing his own right palm on top of her hand.

He shifted his attention back to the goblins. ''But honestly... There are so many of them that if we don't figure out a method to kill them all swiftly, we won't make it in time for half of our classes,'' he whined dejectedly.

Hearing him, Ichigo stepped forward, placing himself in front of them with his gaze targeted toward the goblins.

''If that's the case, I think I may have something that can wipe them all out at once,'' Ichigo announced to everyone, tightening his grip on his sword's hilt. ''I just want to know how strong this barrier is and if it can withstand advanced energy attacks.''

''This is our best defense barrier. Yukari-chan and I trained a lot to be able to summon it. Whatever you wish to do, there's no doubt that it will hold up,'' Ruby informed him in a serious tone to give him a green light to whatever he was planning on doing.

''That's good to hear!'' Ichigo smirked confidently that instant, shifting his sight forward and raising his sword up. ''Let's get to business then...'' he declared, starting to concentrate a humongous amount of reiatsu on his blade.

Two meters behind him, Tsukune and the rest were watching him, astounded by the intense energy gathering so close to them.

''Okay, that's gonna be enough,'' Ichigo deemed, stopping the fueling of his blade with his reiatsu. ''**GETSUGA TENSHOOO**!'' he roared, drawing his blade roughly to the front and unleashing a massive, azure energy wave that slipped through the barrier and blasted goblins, trees, rocks, and anything else in its path to smithereens. Accordingly, it shook the entire ground around that area, formed a few strong gales and filled the barrier with many large cracks. After traveling a couple of meters, it dissolved steadily into thin air, unveiling a path of dirt where a considerable patch of greenery once existed.

The scene left all of Tsukune's gang with their jaws dropped in awe. They all questioned simultaneously: ''Who is that guy clad in a black and where did he come from?''

As for Ichigo, unaware of the state of the people behind him, he was staring at his work with a perplexed expression. ''Hmm... Maybe I should have held back a little...'' he murmured, rubbing the top of his head in thought.

Due to some strange whim, he ended up going to another dimension, marking unknowingly to him the beginning of a series of events that were destined to affect him, as well as the rest of that foreign world around him.

* * *

**A/N:**

**1) Hope you liked the 1st chap. It didn't have much things going of course, but it's only the beginning, so we still have time for the candies. ;)**

**2) If someone can't see it well and wishes to do so (just saying),I uploaded my cover's pic at the bottom of my profile. I was pressing my eyes for 5 days,but I think I managed to create something good.**

**My thanks to my beta reader mrtysh for her precious help in completing this chap!**

**See ya next time, guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

-Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario + Vampire. They belong to their respective owners.-

a=Narration and descriptions

"a"=Dialogues

_a_=Inner voices or thoughts

**a**=Intense dialogues

**Before we cut to the chase, something I would like to mention.**

**My story's chaps are short, and that technically means more frequent updates, but the thing is that I, as well as my beta reader, have also other, personal responsibilities to take care of daily, so there's always a chance for a little delay (1-2 weeks at the most). I just want to humbly ask of you to be patient if that happens. That's all, and thanks for your time!**

**Now, have a pleasant reading and enjoy!**

* * *

**2: Finding a new home!**

* * *

With the threat of the green assassins being a distant memory, Tsukune's group retreated from their fighting forms as well as their weapons, gathering around Ichigo in a quest for answers about that man's unknown origins. They had met other strong individuals in the past, but that orange–haired teen, wearing a black kimono, displayed to them a sight that could only be considered plain unbelievable. The only monsters capable of unleashing such devastating attacks and altering the landscape to such an extent were the Shinso.

Naturally, that brought the young Soul Reaper to a tight spot since he couldn't just blurt out that he was sent from a different dimension. If he did, the people around him would assume that he was crazy. That's why, after the necessary introductions from both sides, he worked out a few ideas in his head, finally choosing the one that sounded most fitting to his case.

It was a story about him being a spiritual guardian of the humans—a previous, random reference to the Human World from Yukari helping him on that—, who had been set up by an evil comrade to end up exiled to their barrier. Of course, most of the story was made up, but there was a small fragment of truth in his words. He was indeed tricked and thrown into that dimension by a man who was his ally...

But ultimately, that wasn't of great importance! What was important was to determine why he was visible in this form. That's why, taking advantage of the situation, he mentioned that he was surprised to realize that the students could see him, since he was a spirit.

Then, Ruby stated that most likely they could see him because of the high quantity of youki in the atmosphere. Not that Ichigo had the slightest idea what youki was, but he wanted an answer, and he got it.

Now, there was only one more issue left to take care of...

''I'm really sorry to hear that something like that happened to you, Kurosaki-san. What your ally did was horrible! If it was me, I'm not sure that I would be as composed as you,'' Tsukune commented to Ichigo with a sympathetic look. He had a similar experience with Hokuto Kaneshiro, so he could understand well what it meant to experience betrayal, but the fact that Ichigo was so calm about it amazed him, if nothing else.

''Nah! No reason for you to feel down. I have gone through much worse... and you can call me Ichigo,'' Ichigo replied casually, widening next his gaze to everyone. ''That goes for everyone,'' he added, not comfortable with the thought of other young people addressing him so formally. Orihime and Ishida did that already, so there was no need for further additions.

''I see… I will go with this, if you say so,'' Tsukune assured him with a small smile, and gave him his right hand for a handshake. ''Once again, nice to meet you!''

As a response to that gesture, Ichigo took it, completing the handshake.

''Likewise!'' he replied with a small smile of his own.

With that, Tsukune's group shared a similar smile with the two teens. Whoever Kurosaki Ichigo was, he seemed to be quite a friendly and decent man. Plus, they owed him for helping them out when they weren't even acquaintances.

''So... where are you living currently, Ichigo-san?'' Tsukune asked him, curious about his state after the misfortune that had fallen upon him.

Hearing that, Ichigo shifted his eyes uneasily. ''Well... nowhere, to be honest,'' he answered, scratching the back of his neck. He was in this world for half an hour at best, and as expected, he had no chance to search for a temporary shelter.

''**Nowhere?! **You mean that you camp **outside?**'' Tsukune asked him again, his eyes widening in shock. Youkai Realm wasn't exactly the best place to sleep in the open, unguarded. ''You have to find a place to stay fast, or you could be attacked anytime.''

''Not a bad idea, but I'm not so familiar with the area, and I don't know anyone who would offer me a place to live.''

His personal safety was the least of Ichigo's worries after all the battle experience he had accumulated during past years, but Tsukune had a point. If he were to live in that dimension, he ought to arrange for a place to settle in. Somewhere they could provide him with a bath and daily meals, if possible. Having a mortal body came with a high price consisting of various daily needs like personal hygiene and food.

''You know, he could come to our academy's male dorms,'' Moka suggested suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. ''There should be a few vacant rooms.''

''Dorms?'' Ichigo questioned, perplexed. All his life he lived at his house, so that proposition caught him off guard.

''Ah, **that's right! The dorms!** How didn't I think of this?'' Tsukune exclaimed, slightly embarrassed, smacking his left palm on his forehead. ''Nice idea, Moka-san!'' he smiled at her, winking and raising his right thumb to her, prompting her to respond by mimicking his action. After that, he shifted his attention back to Ichigo. ''Why don't you come to live at our academy's dorms, Ichigo-san? It's a little loud, but it's certainly better than camping outside.''

That question brought a skeptical expression to Ichigo's face. Should he accept the offer and live in a facility that would provide him with all the things he needed, or search for a home of his own to feel more comfortable by not being under constant surveillance? Each option had its positives and negatives. What should he choose then? Option one, or option two...? He was in a bind.

Thankfully, not for long! When his mind couldn't give him an answer, his stomach took the initiative and growled, stating which option he had to go along with. Searching for a place to live alone would require time, and unfortunately, with his biological needs kicking in, that was a luxury he didn't have. Therefore, the final outcome was quite clear.

''Okay. I'm in!'' he grinned to Tsukune. God only knew when Mayuri would drag him out of here, so for the meantime, his first priority was to survive.

''Wonderful!'' Tsukune commented enthusiastically.

''We better inform the deputy headmaster about Ichigo-san's circumstances and ask for his permission to register him as a resident of the dorms,'' Ruby pointed out, staying faithful to her post as the headmaster's assistant.

''Uhm! Let's do that when we finish with our classes,'' Tsukune nodded to her and signaled to everyone—Ichigo included—that it was time to leave. There was no reason for them to remain there anymore, and it wouldn't be so favorable for their new friend if everyone connected him with the forest's damage.

* * *

A few hours later…

Following Tsukune's lead, his group and Ichigo moved to the school's cafeteria to grab some quick snacks, and next to their clubroom, where they left Ichigo and Ruby. The two would wait for them to finish their classes so they could all go later to convince the deputy headmaster to let Ichigo live in the dorms.

From there on, time flowed slowly, since Ichigo didn't have many things to occupy himself with besides talking to Ruby. Not that he had any particular issue with that, but ultimately, there's a limit to how much two people can talk to each other.

''Um? I need to take a leak…'' Ichigo whispered to himself at some random point and got up from his chair. The problem was that he wasn't familiar with the academy's structure. ''Excuse me, Ruby-san, but can you please tell me where the toilet is?'' he asked, feeling awkward for being forced to ask a girl that question. He wasn't a man who paid so much attention to details, but that didn't mean that he was oblivious, or ill-mannered.

''You walk down the hallway and turn right to the second crossroad you meet,'' Ruby informed him, a gentle smile on her face to ease his obvious discomfort.

''Thanks!'' Ichigo responded and after placing his Zangetsu on a table to not look dangerous, he stepped outside the clubroom in search of the restroom.

* * *

Several minutes later…

With his toilet business over, Ichigo rolled open the door, immediately taking the way back to the clubroom to not worry Ruby about his apparent delay.

''Phew! That felt good…'' Ichigo murmured to himself with a relieved expression. ''I have to admit that for a monster school, they have pretty normal toilets… For a moment, I was worried tha-'' he attempted to continue his murmuring, but without a warning, a series of female shrieks echoed behind a far corner, leading him to cut his speech short.

Curious, he approached the corner, taking a quick peek behind the wall. There, he witnessed, to his displeasure, a gang of five punk-looking male students harassing three girls, whom they had surrounded. The funny thing was that it was those exact three girls he had met when he first arrived at that dimension who had mistaken him for a killer.

''P-Please, leave us alone!''

''I-If you don't go away, we are going to scream!''

''T-The teachers will punish you for what you are doing!''

It wasn't so difficult for someone to distinguish that the three females were extremely scared, as they were shaking like fish out of the water. Despite that, they were struggling to stay strong and persuade the boys to leave them alone. But their words fell on deaf ears from what it seemed.

''Ha! Like we're gonna be scared of the teachers!''

''It ain't like they could hear ya anyway with all the noise inside the classes.''

''And even if they hear ya eventually, there'll be nothing left for them to do when they come.''

''We'll be sure to enjoy yer nice bodies enough before they spot us.''

''But ya better refrain from screaming, because we ain't like for others to butt in during our fun,'' the fifth of the punks declared to them and pulled a pocketknife out of his pants' right pocket, placing it close to the neck of one of the girls. ''If ya scream, ya might get hurt, ya know,'' he snickered deviously.

His friends moved in too, knowing full well that they had the upper hand. Those girls were helpless against a man's genetically advanced strength and moreover, those boys outnumbered them. Plus, one of them was armed…

The odds were undoubtedly against them and if that were to continue, those young men would end up dragging them somewhere and raping them.

However, their luck was about to change drastically!

Just when the guy holding the pocketknife was about to cop a feel of his victim's breasts with his free hand, another boy appeared from nowhere and grabbed his wrist tightly, preventing him. It was Ichigo, who, not being able to watch idly anymore, had approached them without making his presence known.

Noticing him, everyone opened their eyes widely; the boys because they didn't expect for someone to wandering around at this hour, and the girls because they were afraid that after being raped, they would be killed.

''Huh?! Who the hell are y-?'' the guy with the pocketknife tried to ask, but not caring about his words, Ichigo interrupted him.

''Scram!'' he ordered the male group in a monotone, an angry scowl forming on his face. He despised bullies and generally people who thought of themselves as superiors because they were targeting weaker ones. Adding to that the crime of rape, his temper had hit the max.

''What did ya say? Do ya have any idea who ya tal-GLRB!'' The same guy attempted to ask for a second time, but like earlier, he was interrupted, that time by a strong punch in his face that threw him a few meters backwards.

That sight left the others in shock, their jaws dropped stupidly.

''So…? What will you do?'' Ichigo asked the guy's friends with an intimidating gaze.

Instead of answering him, they responded by clenching their fists and storming against him.

''I was kind enough to give you a choice…'' Ichigo growled and without further ado, used shunpo, placing himself behind two of them and simultaneously giving them a strong chop to the back of their necks.

''YOU BASTARD!'' one of the remaining punks yelled at him and aimed a punch for his face, but Ichigo caught his fist as if it moved in slow motion, and after causing him intense pain by crashing it in his palm, he kicked him roughly against the wall.

Witnessing that, the last member of the male group jumped in, aiming for a knee strike, but once again Ichigo's lightning speed prevailed, allowing him to catch his attacker from his jacket in midair and smash him on the ground like a watermelon.

Behind him, the three girls were observing the entire scene, completely at a loss. They had deduced that the orange-haired teen was an enemy, but at that moment, before their astonished eyes, he was protecting them, punishing the men who wanted to rape them.

''**There! **This will teach you some manners,'' Ichigo announced to the group of injured punks. According to his experience, if there was something capable of correcting the wrong ways of people like them, that was a harsh beating.

But as it proved, those specific ''pupils'' of his weren't so willing to reform themselves so easily. Ignoring their awful state due to his attacks, the five teens pulled their bodies up with much effort, and a second later released their monster forms, desiring to kill him with all their might.

''Why do scumbags have to be so persistent in every dimension?'' Ichigo questioned to himself, peeved. After that, he rushed against them.

* * *

A few more minutes later…

With Ichigo failing to achieve his goal of not worrying Ruby, she found herself searching thoroughly for him among the hallways, afraid that he got lost, or found trouble.

A while later, she discovered him standing in the middle of a hallway close to the restroom, near him three tensed-up girls and a little farther, five monsters, buried upside-down halfway inside the floor.

''W-What is going on here?'' Ruby questioned, upset and unable to take in the image before her.

Alerted by the disturbed voice, Ichigo turned to her. ''Oh, Ruby-san… Sorry I'm late. Something came up and I got stuck here,'' he told her casually, like there was nothing weird with the entire setting.

''Ichigo-san… What happened? Why are those boys buried in the floor? And why are these girls looking so frazzled…? It couldn't be that you did something to them, right?'' she asked him, a few drops of anxious sweat flowing down her face.

Ichigo was taken aback when he heard her. He hadn't done anything wrong like Ruby imagined. The opposite! He saved those girls when they were on the brink of being raped… Still, the general scene probably wasn't leaning in his favor, he concluded after a little thought.

''Woah! Wait a sec, Ruby-san! I didn't…'' he attempted to say to his defense, but quickly he was cut short by a series of loud voices.

They belonged to the three girls he protected. They suddenly jumped between him and Ruby, their faces flustered.

''NO! PLEASE, DON'T MISUNDERSTAND, TOUJOU-SAN!''

''THIS MAN CAME TO OUR RESCUE WHEN THOSE BOYS WANTED TO DEFILE OUR BODIES!''

''THE REAL CRIMINALS HERE ARE **THEM, NOT** HIM!''

Ichigo and the girls didn't start off on the right foot, but after his altruistic act of covering for them, they finally realized his true nature and wished to repay the debt by covering for him. That left him a little surprised naturally, since he didn't think they would back him up, but anyway, he was relieved to know that they didn't think he was a killer anymore.

''Ah… I see… That's reassuring to hear…'' Ruby muttered, a bit astounded from the passion those girls were putting into defending Ichigo. Either they were extremely thankful to him for protecting them, or the way he handled those wrongdoers had affected them so much that it awakened the fangirls inside of them.

Whatever the case, Ichigo's innocence was proven, so he and Ruby had to return to the clubroom until they visited the deputy headmaster for Ichigo's matter as well as to report those boys to be punished.

''It would be wise to go back to your class,'' Ruby advised the three girls and moved her gaze to Ichigo. ''Let us go too,'' she proposed to him, turning around and heading back to the clubroom.

''Yeah…'' he replied, following behind her.

''THANK YOU A LOT FOR HELPING US! YOU ARE A VERY KIND PERSON!'' the three girls shouted that moment towards him in unison, bowing in gratitude.

''Always at your service!'' Ichigo reciprocated with a cool voice, waving at them with the back of his right hand.

It was then that the three girls raised their heads and blushed to the color of tomatoes. From the look of things, Ruby's assumptions had both hit the bullseye; besides three people owing him, Ichigo had acquired three fangirls.

* * *

Some hours later…

Putting an end to their unbearable waiting, Yukari appeared in the clubroom, informing Ichigo and Ruby that the rest had already gone to the deputy headmaster's office to begin the persuasion, so they should hurry and come too.

Hearing that, they got up swiftly from their chairs and accompanied her to the place where the others were waiting for them, to assist them into securing Ichigo's new residence.

* * *

When they arrived at the office…

Reaching the headmaster's office, Ichigo opened its doors, laying his eyes upon Tsukune and his friends, standing to the room's right, and a middle-aged man wearing an indigo uniform of a bus driver, sitting on an armchair behind a desk at the other side of the room. Furthermore, he was smoking a slightly long cigar, and strangely enough, his eyes seemed like two glowing, white orbs, when the upper half of his face was covered in a black shadow.

''Ehh… Here we are, but where's the person in charge?'' Ichigo questioned, a bit puzzled. The only person there besides Tsukune and his group was that bus driver, but according to his logic, he couldn't possibly be the headmaster with that appearance.

However, that was a rare case where his judgment was mistaken.

''Ghm… The deputy headmaster is in front you, Ichigo-san,'' Ruby whispered to him uneasily, looking away.

''Huh?! **He** is your headmaster?!'' Ichigo flinched in surprise. Even if he were to try, he could never guess that the school's head was a guy dressed like a mere bus driver. _''Could it be that this was his hobby?_'' he wondered in his head.

''Glad to meet you, Kurosaki Ichigo! My name is Nurari and I'm filling in as temporary headmaster for this school…'' the deputy headmaster greeted him with a bass, stoic voice. ''Tsukune-kun and the others told me some pretty positive things about you and that you desire to live at our school's dorms, if I'm correct.''

''If there's no problem…'' Ichigo replied to him straightly, approaching his desk.

''Since these kids guarantee that you are a decent man, I don't have a reason to refuse… The thing is that living at the dorms means that you have to be a student; hence, I have to ask of the teachers to prepare a mock exam for you to take tomorrow morning. We must measure your academic level to arrange the classes you will attend.''

''Sounds reasonable… ''

''We are in agreement then!'' Nurari smirked, lowering his face a little. ''…However, before I hand you the necessary papers for your registry, I'm obligated to ask you something else.''

''I'm all ears.''

''Are you** absolutely** certain that you are fully prepared to admit yourself at this school…? Youkai Academy is a preeetty sc-'' Nurari began saying to him in a creepy tone, but after raising his face to look at Ichigo, locking eyes with him, he stopped his speech midway. ''…Never mind, it's not so crucial,'' he claimed, taking a registry form and passing it to Ichigo.

A meter away from them, Tsukune and his friends had been left dumbfounded. What Nurari was about to say was his regular catchphrase to all the new students. There wasn't a single student who hadn't heard it after coming to their school…

That precise instant everyone miraculously shared for a second time that day the same question in their heads: What drove Nurari to not complete his sentence?

A few seconds later…

A little later, with the necessary paperwork finished, Nurari gave them a note, addressed to the boy's dormitories' landlord to allow Ichigo entrance to the dorms. The one who took it was Tsukune, since he was the one who insisted that Ichigo find a place to live. Next, he headed outside with the rest of the group following behind him, besides Ruby, who had the duty to report the incident concerning those five male students.

Unexpectedly, Nurari stated to her that she could leave and revealed to her that he was aware of the entire incident, bringing to his mind the image of a tiny creature that looked like a flying, black eyeball with black, bat-like wings; his own type of security camera.

Ruby faithfully obeyed his words and being the last one to exit the room, she closed the door behind her, so no noise would disturb her new boss while he was busy with work.

As for Nunari, he was left alone with his deep thoughts, supporting his chin on his fingers.

''_Wonder how many centuries has it been since I last saw eyes similar to hat boy's... He's so young, yet his eyes didn't show a single trace of fear, or insecurity. Mikogami had to reach full maturity to obtain eyes like those… Moreover, if you take into consideration his performance in the forest, and in the hallway, that young man's skills are of a scale significantly higher than most people here…_'' he murmured inside his head with a skeptical expression. Then, he grinned, amused. _''Kurosaki Ichigo… I'm eager to find out what future surprises you hold for our Youkai Academy! __Hehehe…_''

* * *

Meanwhile, in the boys' dorms…

Thanks to Nurari's note, Tsukune managed to grant Ichigo access inside the male dorms, having the landlord to direct them to an empty room, which coincidentally was next to Tsukune's. The student living there previously decided to drop out recently, so his room was vacant and to Ichigo's relief, in a very tidy state.

For the end, the landlord asked of Ichigo to fill out a form with his personal information to register properly as a new resident there. After doing so, Tsukune proposed that they go join the others to show the Soul Reaper around the school while there was still daylight. Ichigo would have to learn how to navigate the place anyway, so why delay it? The faster, the better, as they say!

* * *

**A/N:**

**1)I'm guessing you can imagine the flags that I raised by putting Ichigo in a room next to Tsukune's, and ****especially**** across Moka's. ;)**

**Of course, there are various other reasons too.**

**2)About Ichigo's mortality, implying that his current body is more fragile than his spiritual one… There's no reason to worry. I have scheduled something scheduled that will solve everything.**

**3)Finally, Ichigo's method of finishing off those punks was my own tribute to one of favorite badasses, Beelzebub's Oga Tatsumi.**

**Once again, my thanks to my beta reader mrtysh for her precious help!**

**See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

-Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario + Vampire. They belong to their respective owners.-

a=Narration and descriptions

"a"=Dialogues

_a_=Inner voices or thoughts

**a**=Intense dialogues

**Hi guys! Sorry for the late update, but things have become quite hectic lately, and thus, I ended up delaying the this one.**

**But, anyway, let's not waste more time with small talk…**

**Have a pleasant reading and enjoy!**

* * *

**3. The ''club'' rule!**

* * *

The morning sun rose in the sky, welcoming Ichigo to his second day in the unknown monster dimension. As Nurari stated the previous afternoon, briefly after the Soul Reaper had an early breakfast in the male dorms' dining hall, the teachers called him down to take some quick academic tests. For Ichigo, going straight to writing exams wasn't exactly the best way to start the day, but he had to finish them before the morning classes. The reason was that the teachers had to appoint him in a class by the time the school hours were to commence.

* * *

3 hours later…

With much patience, the poor teen managed finally to clear all the nagging tests within the time limit they had given him, prompting the teacher's council to jump right away into the grading since time was pressing.

What was the result?

* * *

40 minutes later…

''Good morning everyone~~ Sorry for being late, but we teachers had some small business to take care of earlier… Anyway, today we have a new student among us-nyan!'' Ms. Nekonome announced to her class playfully, following a small greeting, and turned her face towards the classroom's door. ''You can come in now.''

''Yeah…'' A male voice was heard from outside, and after that Ichigo opened the door, stepping inside, and drawing all the students' eyes upon him, including Tsukune and his gang.

The group knew that Ichigo would be transferred into a class, but they didn't imagine that it would be theirs. There were four classes for the third years, so the chances were only one to four...

Ms. Nekonome proceeded by introducing him to her students, mentioning, to everyone's astonishment, that Ichigo had scored fifth in his test results, which were based on the school's last exams of the first semester. Truthfully, it was very fortunate for him that Youkai Academy's subjects were the same as every other normal school's. Plus, from what he noticed, their level was easier than that of his own school, helping him to raise his status further up than back home.

But as they say; fame attracts jealousy, so many of the people in the room didn't take long to target him with unpleasant glares. More precisely, the class's male population –Tsukune excluded – were jealous about how the girls were fawning over the new guy, whispering among themselves how smart he must be, and how hot that wild look of his was...

In any case, with the typical introductions out of the way, the cat-woman teacher instructed Ichigo to pick an empty seat to sit so they could start their lesson. He obeyed willingly, and found a place behind Moka, placing himself in the same line of seats as Tsukune and Mizore.

Then, a boy, most likely one of the class's smartasses, thought to give Ichigo a special welcome by using the classic method, ''spit a wet paper-ball through an empty pen''. Too bad for him that Ichigo wasn't such a pushover that he would fall victim to such a useless prank. Upon sensing the paper-ball approaching, the Soul Reaper nonchalantly, without even turning his gaze towards it, flicked it back with his right hand's middle finger, sending it into the boy's face, and forcing him to cringe. As expected, torrential laughter erupted from the rest of the class, showing the prankster and others like him that Kurosaki Ichigo wasn't someone to mess with so casually.

* * *

When classes were over…

''All right, everyone! We're finished for today-nyan!'' Ms. Nekonome informed her students, gathering her teacher's books to leave.

However, before doing so, there was still one last thing for her to do as Ichigo's new teacher.

''Kurosaki-kun, could I speak to you for a bit?'' she called out to Ichigo, driving him to shift his attention to her as he packed his textbooks inside his briefcase.

''Of course,'' Ichigo replied, approaching her.

The two of them discussed for a few minutes, until he nodded positively on something he heard, prompting his teacher to smile and exit the classroom, pleased.

In that moment, full of curiosity, Moka, Tsukune, Mizore, Kurumu, and Yukari came close to him to ask him what their teacher had told him.

''She asked me if I've decided which club I'm thinking to join, because the rules indicate that every student here has to be in one,'' Ichigo answered, slightly bothered. He was not so fond of after-school activities, and his only connection with that type of stuff was his assistance with various clubs back in his old school to earn some money and increase his savings.

''So, what club are you going to join?'' Tsukune asked him, still curious.

''To tell you the truth… I don't have the slightest idea! I didn't know that I had to choose one, that's why I didn't do any research on the matter.''

''I see… But you have to choose one, nevertheless. It was the same for us when we first came here.''

''Any good suggestions?''

''Eh?! Well… How about our Newspaper Club? The atmosphere there is nice enough, I dare to say, and looking out for interesting scoops can be very enjoyable,'' Tsukune proposed to him, a bit taken aback by Ichigo's sudden question.

''Newspapers, huh? Hmm… I'm not entirely sure… I haven't thought about doing anything like that 'til now,'' Ichigo confessed, sounding uncertain. ''Any other suggestions?''

''Other suggestions…?'' Tsukune repeated, wearing a troubled look on his face. ''Err… There are a lot of clubs in the school, but I can't tell you so accurately which is better…'' he replied in modesty. He didn't wish to make a mistake, and lead Ichigo into a club that could make their new friend regret the decision during the rest of the school year. Thus, he found himself in a bind.

Luckily, help was on its way!

''Why don't we take him around the school to check the clubs? This way he can decide on his own, which one he likes?'' Mizore suggested from nowhere, wanting to lend Tsukune a hand.

With that, everyone focused their eyes on her.

''What did you say, Mizore-chan?'' Tsukune asked her, blinking.

''I said that we could accompany him around the school to show him the rest of the clubs,'' Mizore responded more bluntly, causing Tsukune and the other girls to grin because of the validity of her idea.

''**Yes! This could work! **Nice thought, Mizore-chan!'' the brown-haired teen praised her cheerfully, earning a small blush from her.

''Heh! Sometimes you say some pretty neat stuff, if you try,'' Kurumu commented, clearly to tease her, prompting Mizore to respond with an annoyed glance.

Usually, under circumstances like that, it was almost certain that the two girls would end up fighting, but unexpectedly there was another issue the group would have to solve in the upcoming seconds. The one who brought that to light was the party's vampire, who was looking skeptical for some reason.

''You know, guys… all's good and well with the idea, but I think that there's a small problem. Don't we have to finish this week's printout?'' Moka questioned, reminding her friends about the responsibility they were about to forget.

Just like that, the situation reverted back to the starting point.

''Oh, snap! You are right, Moka-san! We have to do the printout,'' Tsukune agreed, smacking his right palm on his forehead. He turned to Ichigo. ''Please, forgive us, Ichigo, but we can't postpone the printout any longer. We should have finished it yesterday, but with everything that happened, we neglected it completely,'' he apologized, his face revealing his discomfort for announcing to Ichigo that they couldn't help him.

''It's okay… I understand. Since things came to this, I will go look out for a club by myself,'' Ichigo smiled, desiring to lessen Tsukune's guilt for having to ditch him.

''Not necessarily-desu…'' Yukari pointed out that instant, raising her right index finger.

''What do you mean, Yukari-chan?'' Tsukune asked her.

''As Moka-san mentioned, we need to finish the printout, yet this job doesn't require all of us… One of us could take a break for today, and accompany Ichigo… This would be like killing two birds with one stone-desu.''

Hearing the little witch, everyone thought about what she told them for a moment, and realized that she was indeed right. They couldn't go all together with Ichigo, but if it was only one person, it wouldn't affect their job's speed too much.

However, a new problem would arise once again, blocking the plan for a third time. What was it? The simple fact that each of the girls greatly treasured their time with Tsukune, and accordingly, none of them had any intentions of backing off of their post.

That led them into a heated argument about which one of them should abandon her position and go with Ichigo, making Tsukune face-palm himself in exasperation, and the Soul Reaper to sweat-drop. Harem situations were such a hassle the Soul Reaper concluded for a second time after he arrived there.

Thankfully, the ruckus wouldn't continue for long due to another flash of enlightenment Yukari had, proposing for a solution to their newfound problem the oldest competition in the book: Rock-Paper-Scissors. With that, they could compete fair and square, reaching a conclusion without needless fights, or any regrets. Certainly, it was very childish, but in any case, better than wreaking havoc in the classroom.

Therefore, coming to an agreement, all of them formed a circle, and counting to three, they threw their hands forward, hoping for the best outcome.

* * *

A few minutes later…

With everything finally resolved, Tsukune headed, with the remaining girls as well as Kokoa and Fong Fong, to the clubroom to take care of the week's printout. Meanwhile, Ichigo was currently out in the yard, going to check the sports clubs, as his style seemed more athletic than anything else. The girl, chosen by fate, to accompany him was none other than the academy's top female idol, Moka.

''Ehh… Sorry for dragging you out here with me,'' Ichigo apologized, his eyes shifting to the side from uneasiness. He could easily guess how much Moka must have desired to be with Tsukune instead of with him, so he was feeling sort of guilty, like he was forcing her to do his bidding.

''No, it's okay… We agreed that none of us would complain after a loss, and I'm a person who stays true to her words,'' Moka replied straightly, looking up to Ichigo. ''Could it be that my company is unpleasant?'' she asked him quizzically. She was appointed to go with him, but that didn't mean that Ichigo was totally satisfied with the result.

''What?! No, of course not… I'm perfectly cool with you as my guide… I owe you anyway. You were the first to suggest for me to live in the dorms. If it wasn't for you, I would probably have slept somewhere under a tree last night,'' Ichigo replied hastily, looking down at Moka, and bringing a small smile to her face because of his words.

A smile that, upon witnessing it, the teen Soul Reaper deemed it as quite charming. It wasn't like he had no interactions with other beautiful girls in his life – Orihime, for example – but that Moka girl emitted a unique, strong aura that piqued his interest, if nothing else.

''Um? Is something the matter?'' Moka asked him again, wondering why he was staring at her so persistently.

''Eh…? Ah, nothing… I just spaced out,'' Ichigo lied, returning his gaze forward to avoid raising suspicions from her. It would be unbelievably embarrassing for him if she were to realize that Ichigo was fixated on her smile.

''Oh… For a second, I thought that I had something on my face, '' Moka told him, relieved, also shifting her eyes forward.

From there, they continued on their way toward the sports clubs' area, breaking the ice between them in the meantime with small talk.

* * *

Four hours later…

It wasn't long before Ichigo and Moka reached their destination, and began their quest for an appropriate club for him, surveying each sports club one by one within the school facility's perimeter…

First, it was the soccer club, where Ichigo was asked to demonstrate his skills, leaving all the members jaw-dropped by playing like a professional soccer player. Naturally, they begged him to join them after that performance, but he rejected them because he couldn't find something thrilling to keep him there. Joining a club where there was no actual achievement was bound to get boring as time went on.

Next in line, was the Basketball Club, then the Volleyball Club, the Bicycle Club, the Track and Field Club, the Climbing Club, the Judo Club, the Karate Club, the Pro-Wrestling Club, and a lot of other sports clubs that Ichigo succeeded in having them pleading to him on their knees to join them due to his extraordinary talents. Despite that, his answer was always ''no.'' No matter how many places he visited with Moka, he simply couldn't get the right vibes to stay…

At the moment, he and his vampire companion were in the dojo of the Kendo Club, where, likewise, he was asked to display his skills by sparring with a few members, ending up beating every single man there to the ground. The only one who remained was the club's president.

''Are you ready, new student?'' asked the president; a buffed guy with black, short hair that wore traditional kendo gear.

In the past few seconds, he had taken kendo's standard battle stance, preparing himself for a showdown with the boy who knocked down all his club's fighters.

''Since long ago, Amaya-san… And it's 'Kurosaki Ichigo,''' Ichigo, who wore the same attire, stated to him, a confident smirk distinguishable behind his head protector.

''Let's do this, then… BATTLE!'' Amaya declared, and charged against Ichigo.

''Let's roll!'' Ichigo exclaimed, mimicking his opponent.

A second later, both men found themselves in front of each other, with Amaya taking the initiative, and going straight for a head strike to finish off Ichigo at once to avenge his men. Noticing that, Ichigo used his superior reflexes, and to his opponent's surprise, he evaded the attack with the use of a lightning-speed side step, leading Amaya's sword to hit the ground. Ichigo then prepared his own assault, propelling himself towards Amaya's body with his legs, and at the right moment, he struck the Kendo Club's president under the chin, sending him flying in the air. That worked efficiently as a means to give the Soul Reaper the points he needed to win the match, as well as set a personal score for him as the best athlete in all Youkai Academy, since Kendo Club was the last sports club on the list.

''Excellent!'' Moka commented, clapping while standing up from a set of bleachers. Following that, she walked towards Ichigo. ''That was amazing! If I didn't know, I could swear that you are a pro swordsman!'' she praised him enthusiastically.

''Thanks! I just do my best,'' Ichigo replied modestly, removing his head protector.

Then, he turned around and announced to Amaya, who was laying down on the floor due to the thrust at his chin, that he wouldn't join the Kendo Club in the end. His reasons were the same as with the other clubs, but he couldn't blurt that out so casually. Instead, he stated politely that kendo wasn't for him, and without anything else keeping him there, he signaled to Moka that it was time for them to leave. She responded with a positive nod, and after Ichigo changed into his regular clothes, both exited the dojo, moving on to a different location.

Behind them, most of the beaten up members of the club were trying to collect themselves, while a few others were helping their president to stand.

''_**Dammit! **__Who the hell was that guy…? I'm Amaya Ken, head of the Amaya Group that's famous in all the Youkai Realm for its lineage of master swordsmen… For me to lose so pathetically to a ''nobody..." This is utterly disgraceful…_'' Amaya grunted in his head, adopting an enraged expression. ''_I can't let this one pass… I have to restore my honor, or my pride as a warrior won't be able to handle it!_'' he proclaimed, frowning dangerously.

From the look of things, Ichigo's business with the Kendo Club wasn't over yet.

* * *

Several minutes later…

Unaware of Amaya's intentions, Ichigo and Moka were currently sitting on a bench close to the school building.

''We seriously hit a dead-end…'' Moka claimed in a tired tone, her eyes looking at the ground. ''Are you completely positive that you don't want to join any of the clubs we visited?'' she asked Ichigo, raising her face to him.

''Well… Even after all that checking here and there, I simply can't see myself as a member of any of them… You must think that I'm quite the troublesome guy, huh?'' he asked Moka, feeling guilty for making her accompany him all over the place needlessly. Honestly, he wished he had settled into a club to give some meaning to the exhaustion he caused to her, but either way, he couldn't go against his true desires.

''Would you like to go take a glimpse of some non-sports clubs, then? Since sports didn't do the job, we could be luckier with something more intellectual. You are a smart guy, nevertheless. Not many people can score fifth place so comfortably.''

''I have many doubts about that. I may have done well on the tests, but intellectual stuff isn't my thing.''

''I see… Nonetheless, you have to choose a club; either you are okay with that, or not. It may be a nagging rule, but still a rule.''

''Yeah…'' Ichigo replied, and dived into deep thought for a minute. Next, he momentarily closed his eyes, sighing, ''Haa… I suppose that I don't have many other options left...''

''What do you mean by that?'' Moka asked him, a bit puzzled.

''I mean that I'll accept Tsukune's offer, and join your club…'' Ichigo answered, turning to her. ''I have no idea how you make a newspaper, but at the very least, I'll be among familiar faces, who I can talk with in leisure...''

At the sound of those words, Moka flinched momentarily, and right after that, a notably joyful expression decorated her face, accompanied by an equally joyful smile.

''Really? You will?'' she asked Ichigo, excited for their club to acquire a new member.

''That's what I just said, ''Ichigo replied with a pleased grin. As he confessed to her, he had zero experience in publishing newspapers, yet, hanging out with Moka and her friends didn't seem so bad to him. They were a pleasant bunch, in any case.

Like that, both teens ended up staring at each other, unmoved, and happy to place another pillar upon the foundation of their newly formed friendship…

Too bad that this pleasant atmosphere wasn't bound to last for long!

While they were in that state, Ichigo and Moka's senses suddenly detected multiple hostile presences approaching them from behind a wall, and without further ado, they jumped up from the bench, taking battle stances.

''WHO IS THERE?'' Moka yelled toward the direction she sensed the presences.

In reply, the people who alerted her vampire senses stepped past the wall, revealing that they were Amaya and most of the members of the Kendo Club.

''Amaya-san?!'' the silver-haired girl questioned, confused. ''What are you doing here?''

Before answering, Amaya frowned. ''I apologize for the interruption, Akashiya-san… but I have some unfinished business with the man beside you,'' he explained to her, darting his eyes toward Ichigo.

''Me?! Why?'' Ichigo questioned in his turn, as confused as Moka.

''Because you ridiculed me…! I had the title of the strongest swordsman in the academy, when you appeared out of nowhere and snatched it away from me, trampling on my pride as a warrior…'' Amaya replied, pointing his right index finger at Ichigo. ''For that, I have come to challenge you once again, Kurosaki Ichigo; to take back my rightful status, and restore my honor,'' he added, drawing a wooden sword from behind his back.

At the same time, using his other hand, he grabbed another similar sword from the same place, throwing it in front of Ichigo's feet.

''Come! Take that, and get ready. This time, we are going to settle who is the best swordsman among us, **for real!**'' Amaya declared, his sheer resolve shining in his eyes.

Consequently, Ichigo was completely lost! He beat that guy some minutes ago in an undoubtedly fair fight, so there was no meaning in competing again. The outcome wouldn't miraculously change after such a short period of time, and in addition, the whole thing sounded bothersome to the Soul Reaper.

''Well… I can't say that I don't understand your drive, Amaya-san… but seriously, repeating our duel seems needless to me. If you are so set on your title as the ''strongest swordsman'', you can have it back without any arguments. What interests me is mainly to spend my school days here in peace. Titles and similar stuff hold no value to me, so I don't really have a reason to fight you,'' Ichigo told him straightly, shoving his hands in his pants' pockets as a sign of refusing Amaya's challenge.

Witnessing his respond, Amaya's previous frown grew.

''Is that so…? In other words, you would fight me, if you had a reason, right?''

''Logically… What's your point?''

Before answering, Amaya raised his left hand a little up. ''**This!**'' he exclaimed, and with a snap of his fingers, he alerted five Kendo Club members, who were hidden up on the school's roof, to pop out over its protective rails, and each pour a bucket of water on Moka.

As expected, that caused her to fall on her knees, with her entire body full of sparks.

''Gkhh…'' she gasped painfully, her arms entangled around her chest and her teeth clenched.

Ichigo's eyes went wide at that. ''Hey, Moka… are you all right? What's happening?'' he asked her, upset.

However, the answer he desired wouldn't come from the person he asked.

''Of course, she isn't. Water is a vampire's' greatest weakness… Didn't you know that, Kurosaki-san?'' Amaya updated him, placing a question of his own as Ichigo turned to him.

''Huh?! You've got to be kidding me!'' Ichigo flinched, and shifted his attention back to Moka. ''Is what he said true?''

''Ngk… Yeah… We vampires are indeed weak against water…'' Moka replied with a little difficulty. ''Although… I stopped being a simple vampire for a long time now,'' she added, and started pulling herself up.

''The power of a Shinso, I presume… It's really remarkable!'' Amaya commented, and mimicked his previous action, signaling some other members to rush briefly behind the wall everyone appeared, and return back with a series of long hoses. ''Good thing that I foresaw this,'' he pointed out, before his men turn on the water in the hoses, and start showering Moka with gallons of it, throwing her against the wall because of the liquid's pressure.

''GUAAAH!'' Moka screamed frantically upon having such a massive quantity of water splashed on her.

As a Shinso, she had a significantly higher tolerance against water compared to regular vampires, still, that amount of water was too much even for her advanced species.

''MOKA!'' Ichigo called in astonishment, beginning to sweat worriedly. Following that, he swiftly turned back to Amaya, wearing a furious scowl upon locking eyes with him. **''You bastard… WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?**''

''Only what I ought to do to make you accept my challenge,'' Amaya answered bluntly, showing no remorse in his speech. ''I must reclaim my title, and I'm willing to utilize whatever means I can to achieve that… Now, tell me, Kurosaki-san… Are you agreed to fight me, or you wish to hear more of Akashiya's cries…? Also, be warned that if you dare to attempt anything different, my men will be sure to increase the water's quantity at such a level that your precious friend will most likely experience a living Hell.''

At the sound of that, Ichigo's eyelids twitched, and he gritted his teeth. It wasn't like he would have to struggle to knock out all those scumbags, but the fact that Moka was suffering even more for every single second they were showering her, had him utterly shackled. Of course, there was always the option of rescuing her with his shunpo, and beating everyone to the ground afterwards… but **NO!**

According to Ichigo, that fame-seeking dork, Amaya, needed a **good** punishment for his vile actions, and the best one for his case, would surely be to taste total defeat at his own game, having every remaining fragment of his precious ''warrior's pride'' being stripped of him.

''Very well, Amaya-san… If you want a duel so badly, you'll get one…'' Ichigo announced to him, bending down, and picking up the wooden sword from the ground with his right hand. ''Just try to keep in mind that you asked for it!'' he growled, standing upright, his eyes glowing in an azure color.

Pestering him for such a trivial reason as Amaya's was already annoying for Ichigo, but resorting to such underhanded, dirty methods and forcing him to submit to them was unforgivable…

Amaya seriously had no idea whose anger he drew upon him; however it wouldn't be long before he found out… **The hard way!**

* * *

**A/N:**

**1) After 2 introduction chaps, I have to admit that we're finally getting into business! (In action + romance. Next chap will have more.)**

**2) About the thing some of you asked me, namely ''when Akua will appear,'' I just need to first set the base for my plot, and after that, she will undoubtedly join the party (probably in 3 chaps). Don't worry; she's the second female lead, so there's NO WAY to leave her out of the picture more than necessary.**

**As always, my gratitude to my beta reader mrtysh for her great help in this chap!**

**See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

-Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario + Vampire. They belong to their respective owners.-

a=Narration and descriptions

"a"=Dialogues

_a_=Inner voices or thoughts

**a=**Intense dialogues

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:**

**I wasn't planning to add anything of that sort originally, but after a specific incident, I thought that there are some things that it would be good to be set straight in any case, before the situation gets out of hand. Similar cases happened to me also in the past, but I have no intention of letting it spread here, too.**

**1=A ****specifi****c category of people (like ****God-ShadowEx100) ****should realize already that we authors aren't your personal employees, or slaves. We write because we like it, not because someone pays us to serve you. Therefore, receiving complaints and even THREATS because we don't write the plot you prefer as an individual, or update too soon so you won't get bored to wait, is meaningless. We have our own lives outside the site, filled with responsibilities and other important stuff like our survival. Instead of flaming and cursing, try to give us at least a simple ''thanks'' for our work. This is the only thing we can ask of you. Respect every author's feelings and the effort they put into their work, and refrain from acting like self-centered dorks. If you are displeased with a story, just leave it. You don't have to follow someone only to degrade them to feel superior.**

**2= I have placed a limit of 5000 to 5500 (only in special cases) words for this story. If someone has an issue with that, they can check my other fic, which has 3-4 times longer chaps, or stop following me if they are so displeased with my work. I don't have any right to complain about that. You are completely free to do as you deem best. As an author, I'm here simply to provide to the people that like my style and thoughts something to spend their time pleasantly, not to receive the badmouthing of every person, who doesn't like me. I never flamed, or misbehaved when a story didn't match my tastes, and I wish my readers to do the same. I'm okay with a proper level of criticism, but a comment that consists mainly of constant swearing every two words, is something that I don't accept and find moronic.**

**Now, thank you for your precious time, and I'm ****humbly**** apologizing for delaying you with my ranting. It's just that it had to be done at least once to secure a more harmonious relationship between author and readers. Sorry again…**

**P.S: An extra ''thanks'' to the people who defended me. It's really nice to know that you have people who believe in your work so much that are willing to stand up for you! You have my appreciation!**

**Now, have a pleasant reading and enjoy!**

* * *

**4. True Pride!**

* * *

It was only a few seconds after Ichigo picked up the wooden sword Amaya had thrown to him, and currently both men were glaring at each other, getting ready for the upcoming confrontation between them.

However, for Ichigo there was still something pending before he could focus completely on his fight with Amaya… Moka's well-being!

''Amaya-san… I did as you asked, so how about you order your lackeys to stop wetting Moka? Your problem's with me, right? She doesn't have to go through all that suffering for no reason,'' Ichigo told Amaya, frowning.

He accepted Amaya's challenge, and naturally, it was the other party's time to keep his part of the deal. For Ichigo, Moka screaming was something he couldn't bear to watch any longer.

As for Amaya, since he achieved his goal, he signaled to his men holding the hoses to turn off the water, and put a stop to the vampire girl's torture. They willingly obeyed, turning the water supply off, but not dropping the hoses to guarantee that Ichigo wouldn't attempt anything funny.

''Haaa…'' Moka exhaled in relief, collapsing onto the ground in a sitting position.

Witnessing that, Ichigo's tensed expression loosened up a bit. Despite that, his logic indicated that for caution's sake, he had to carry her to the infirmary, without wasting much time in that pointless duel.

Thus, the Soul Reaper tightened his grip around his sword's hilt, prepared for his assault. ''Shall we get over with it already, Amaya-san? I don't have all day to play around.''

''Neither do I… ''Amaya replied, taking the kendo battle stance.

''No…. Gkk… Stop it… It's stupid to fight without wearing protective gear…'' Moka groaned, worried about Ichigo's safety. Neither he nor Amaya wore any protection, and furthermore, they were about to fight using wooden swords, rather than the less painful bamboo ones usually seen in kendo. According to the vampire girl's estimation, Ichigo could suffer some grave injuries by taking the whole matter so lightly.

That simply showed that she still had **a lot** to learn about the orange-haired boy. Kurosaki Ichigo wasn't someone to be worried about fighting unprotected. His battle experience went far beyond petty school fights like that one!

''No prob, Moka! I can handle him just fine,'' he reassured her, and raised his sword to his chest's height. ''Let's go, Amaya-san!''

''My pleasure!'' Amaya responded, flexing his arm muscles.

Then, both fighters charged against each other with much force, letting out a war cry, ''**HAAAA!**''

Amaya, who decided to play a little dirty after his previous defeat, leaned his sword slightly to the right. He planned to fool Ichigo into thinking that he was going for a side strike, and thrust his sword's tip at the Soul Reaper's chin as payback for earlier.

Too bad for him that Ichigo had developed sharp enough instincts to predict his opponent's upcoming attack, moving his head to the left to avoid Amaya's attack at the last second.

''What?!'' Amaya questioned in astonishment, his eyes wide open.

''Tricks like that won't work on me,'' Ichigo pointed out bluntly before leaning his sword to the left, and smashing it right into Amaya's right ribs roughly.

''GUAA!'' the Kendo Club's president screamed that moment, falling down on his knees, his face revealing intense pain. Receiving such a blow from a remarkably strong fighter as Ichigo, and moreover, from a wooden weapon, was certain to hurt significantly.

''This settles it…'' Ichigo commented, placing his sword on his right shoulder. ''Hope that was satisfactory for you, Amaya-san... You wanted a duel, and I gave it to you…'' he mentioned, staring down at the kneeling Amaya. After that, he turned to go to Moka's side.

To his surprise, he couldn't! Just when he was about to walk toward her, Amaya grabbed the back of his shirt, preventing him.

''Huh? What the…!'' he grunted, turning his head to his back to witness Amaya holding his upper cloth.

''Not yet… '' Amaya growled, his left hand placed on his injured ribs to ease the pain. ''That was **nothing!** I won't allow myself to lose so pathetically for a **second** time.''

Ichigo scowled on that. ''You've got to be kidding me… **Hey,** we agreed on **one **duel, and that's **all!**'' he announced to Amaya, annoyed. He had to take Moka to the infirmary, so he didn't have spare time for more games.

''I wouldn't be so positive, if I were you, Kurosaki-san… If you refuse to resume our duel, the one who is going to pay the price, is Akashiya-san,'' Amaya stated, shifting his eyes towards Moka's place.

Affected by his words, Ichigo mimicked him, noticing that the Kendo Club's members holding the hoses had approached the quite weakened Moka, and seemed up to turn on the water once again.

''HUH?!'' Ichigo questioned, shocked. He quickly turned back to Amaya. ''**You… **What's the meaning of this? You promised to let her off the hook, if I were to fight you,'' Ichigo barked, aggravated. He did as Amaya told him, but the arrogant swordsman looked like he was about to break his word.

''I certainly did, but only if you fight me, as you said yourself… Our duel continues until one of us is completely defeated, '' Amaya claimed, standing up with a little effort.

Things truly weren't looking good. Moka wasn't in a good condition, and she probably needed immediate care, yet, with the threat of those men worsening her state of well-being, Ichigo's sole choice was to follow Amaya's demand. That irritated him like nothing else, and under normal circumstances, he would have beaten everyone to the ground, if it wasn't for his desire to save his friend from further torturing.

''Tch! **Fine!** If you're so set on keeping up our duel, I'm not gonna ruin it for you, Amaya-san…'' Ichigo replied, pointing his sword at Amaya. ''Just keep in mind that from now on, I'm **done** playing around!'' he proclaimed, a piercing gaze in his eyes. Amaya had picked a fight with the one person he shouldn't have, and Ichigo was sure to etch that fact deep into his skin.

* * *

Some minutes later…

Moving on from that moment, both swordsmen resumed their duel, with Amaya attacking Ichigo ruthlessly, while the second either avoided, or parried the first's strikes like it was child's play. Amaya might have his personal experience as president of the Kendo Club, but compared to Ichigo, who had fought countless battles to death, the poor guy had honestly drawn the short end of the stick.

The club president was struggling to land a hit on Ichigo by either utilizing a variety of kendo techniques, or by pushing his body to its limits to improve his power and speed, failing every time to land a hit and ending up down on the ground. Being capable of reading all of Amaya's attacks before they made contact, Ichigo countered him by the use of a low level shunpo, plus a series of lightning-speed sword strikes; sometimes to Amaya's front, sometimes to his sides, and finally, sometimes to his back, when Ichigo managed to force his opponent into performing a rotation by clashing swords.

At the same time, a little far from them, Amaya's men as well as Moka were watching the entire duel in awe.

''Woaahh! That guy has Amaya-taicho on the ropes!'' one of the club members remarked, his eyes widened more than ever.

''On the ropes? No… this isn't ''being on the ropes...'' This is getting** pulverized**!'' another one corrected him, shaking in fear.

''_Amazing!_'' Moka commented in her head, bewildered by Ichigo's fighting skills. It wasn't like she knew any swordsmen other than Kokoa; however, even** she** could tell that Ichigo's level was something above and beyond the norm.

During her life, she had met many people with considerable skills, but Ichigo was without a doubt a rare case of extreme talent. Even Tsukune, who had ascended to a Shinso, wasn't as gifted as Ichigo concerning the academic or athletic categories. Naturally, that left the vampire girl dumbstruck...

As for Mr. Prodigy now, after inflicting a major number of bruises on Amaya, he had reached a point where he was silently glancing down at his trashed opponent, who was lying on the ground, on his back and breathing heavily.

''…You know… Why don't you give it a rest, Amaya-san? Like it, or not… you won't win, no matter how many times we repeat the duel,'' Ichigo clarified to him in a serious tone.

Hearing him, the beaten up swordsman lifted up his face to look at the Soul Reaper. ''… Khh… *Cough*… No… I will never… forfeit…the match… I won't… tolerate… my warrior's pride… to be… stripped from me… so easily….'' Amaya trailed off, his voice weak and pained.

''Wrong, Amaya-san… Even when you give up, you won't lose a thing, because, for starters, you never had anything to lose,'' Ichigo announced to Amaya bluntly.

''What… did you…say…?'' Amaya scowled.

''I said that you didn't have any pride as a warrior even** before** our first match,'' Ichigo answered the same way.

''How... dare you…? I'm Amaya Ken… Head of the glorious Amaya Group… My family has been… the most famous… among all swordsmen families… since eons… This is a type of pride… a simple ''nobody'' like you… you will never… understand…''

''Yeah, I won't, but not because of what you're implying… What life taught me is that the true pride of a warrior isn't using his powers for an egotistical reason like standing above others… It's using them for a solid cause,'' Ichigo declared, narrowing his eyelids slightly. When he was younger, he longed for the strength to fight all the people who bullied him for his hair color, but as the years flowed past him, he found out that his strength was something he could use not only for himself. There were many innocent lives in the world that required a helping hand, and he couldn't call himself a man if he were to turn a blind eye on them, focusing mainly on his own happiness.

Amaya's version of ''a warrior's pride'' was one where you did everything to preserve a superior-sounding title just to make a good impression on the crowds. Quite a meaningless way to show off all of your training achievements, in Ichigo's opinion!

''Curse you… You are going… to regret those… words…'' Amaya growled, his expression transforming to a furious one.

''I highly doubt that. Your body isn't in a condition for any reckless movement… The best thing you have to do is to gather your boys, and return to your dojo. You need to put some ice on these bruises of yours, and I have to take Moka to the infirmary, '' Ichigo stated and turned towards Moka, heading to her side with a look that drove the men close to her to jolt.

But he wouldn't have the chance to go far!

Filled with rage, Amaya lost his self-control and released his monster form as a last resort to redeem himself for all the losses he suffered. On the other hand, sensing the change in energy behind him, Ichigo twitched his eyebrows and turned back, witnessing an unknown creature standing two meters away from him. It was a bulky, tall, blue monster with two small horns on its forehead, red eyes with golden irises, sharp teeth with two especially long fangs that extended out of his upper jaw, and long black hair, wearing Amaya's clothes.

''This duel won't end if I don't bring you down first, begging on your knees, Kurosaki Ichigo,'' the monster declared, pointing his right index finger at Ichigo.

''Switching to your monster form, huh? I should have expected this, I guess…'' Ichigo replied, totally unfazed by his opponent's intimidating appearance, moving toward Amaya.

''This is my real self, an Oni,'' Amaya informed him, opening his arms widely as a means to display his original form in all its glory. ''My group is an ancient clan of proud Oni swordsmen that roamed across the entire Youkai Realm for centuries, earning themselves the title of the greatest sword masters after slaying hundreds and hundreds of powerful enemies. As a direct descendant of those people, I can't allow someone like you to degrade me,'' he added, snapping his right fingers.

With that, a few others from his club rushed to the back of the wall where their comrades had brought the hoses, returning with a large, shiny, dark golden sword, which they handed to Amaya.

The Oni explained to Ichigo that it was time for the orange-haired teen to have a taste of his own medicine by experiencing the might of the Amaya Group's most precious treasure, the orichalcum sword, Exidius; a sword made with one of the toughest materials in the entire world. By using that weapon, Amaya claimed that he was going to sink Ichigo into oblivion for the shame he brought upon his valuable pride.

Still, Ichigo didn't present a single trace of worry about that new development. Amaya could change to whatever monstrous form he wished for, or equip himself with whatever weapon he could find, but the outcome was bound to remain the same. Compared to battles like the ones with Grimmjaw, Ulquiorra, or Aizen, Amaya's threat was on the same level as an angry kitten.

''I see that you are really obsessed about that empty pride of yours, Amaya-san… Either way, I advise you for a second time to fall back, and leave with your lackeys. You won't get anything by keeping this entire thing up,'' Ichigo clarified straightly, gazing at Amaya, a fearless look in his eyes.

''**Nonsense! **You ridiculed me, and only if I bring you down will I be able to stand once again as a proud warrior of my group,'' Amaya retorted, adjusting his sword's position horizontally to his chest's height. ''Now, here's some advice from me: Bow to the ground and beg sincerely for forgiveness, or make a prayer that when I cut you, you won't live enough to feel all the pain,'' he proposed to Ichigo, his eyes glowing with a red shine.

Of course, those words were like air to Ichigo's ears, and he responded by casually inviting Amaya to come at him, using a hand gesture.

At the sight of that, Moka's eyes went wide, and she started sweating bullets all around her face.

''_Dammit! What's he doing…? _DON'T BE A FOOL, ICHIGO! RUN! YOU CAN'T WIN AGAINST A WEAPON LIKE THAT! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE YOUR OWN SWORD TO COUNTER-ATTACK!'' Moka yelled after a quick thought, her eyes trembling in fear for her friend's life. Orichalcum wasn't a metal to be taken lightly, and especially when someone faced it unarmed; concerning the people of her dimension, at least!

Surprising her yet another time, Ichigo responded to her words of worry by turning to her with a confident grin decorating his face.

''It's okay, Moka. I don't need my sword to take care of this jerk and his weapon,'' he remarked, causing the vampire girl's mind to short-circuit.

What the heck was wrong with Ichigo? Staying so cool in front of a situation which most likely could cost him his life was incomprehensible! Truly, his entire character was a riddle to Moka, who hoped with all her heart to have a future chance to solve it, without her friend ending up a corpse.

''All right! This is the finale, Kurosaki-san! Get ready to regret your choice,'' Amaya told Ichigo, and without further ado, charged against him, holding his sword high.

Not long after, he lowered his sword forcibly to bisect the orange-haired teen in half.

Witnessing that, Moka reflexively closed her eyes for a moment. Two seconds later, she re-opened them with a noticeable sadness, only to automatically flinch in extreme shock. Instead of Ichigo's death scene, she saw him alive, having stopped Amaya's sword by holding its blade still in his left palm, the fingers stuck on the metal.

''Nggg… **Impossible!** This doesn't make sense! How did you stop Exidius using a hand? This sword is supposed to be able to injure even deities!'' Amaya claimed, struggling to push his sword onto Ichigo.

''Deities… maybe… But what about Soul Reapers?'' Ichigo questioned with a smirk, and the next instant, infused his right hand with a vast amount of reiatsu, throwing a karate chop at Amaya's sword, and breaking it in two like a thin branch.

That sight left every other person in the area slack-jawed, especially Amaya, who was on the brink of losing it…

His group's treasure, the supposedly invincible orichalcum sword, broke like it was nothing... That moment, a question was born in the arrogant swordsman's mind: Could it be that he made a tragic mistake when he challenged Ichigo?

The answer to that was scheduled to come right away from Ichigo, himself. The Soul Reaper drew back his right hand without any delay, and smashed his fist swiftly into Amaya's gut, causing to him to spit several drops of drool mixed with blood from his mouth. In addition, the Oni's eyeballs rolled to the back of his head, implying that he lost consciousness. However, Ichigo hadn't finished yet!

Following the punch, the Soul Reaper used his shunpo to place himself above Amaya, and before his opponent collapsed to the ground, the orange-haired teen entangled his fingers together, hammering them onto the monster; an attack that pinned Amaya into the earth brutally, creating a large crater.

Upon that, the rest of the men there were stripped of every active reaction they had, staring at Ichigo like soulless statues. As for Moka, she was feeling like Alice in Wonderland, thinking that she had fallen into a world of absurdity.

''Game over, Amaya-san!'' Ichigo mumbled dryly, landing a few steps near the Oni. ''_I suppose I owe a ''thanks'' to Ishida when I return back home. If it wasn't for his rambling about how you can fortify your skin using your reiatsu, I might have had a harder time defending myself,_'' he thought, staring at his hands. Even with his exceptional powers, having a mortal body automatically meant that his defensive attributes were lowered. Usually, he wasn't so fond of Ishida's lectures about that stuff, but that time, the Quincy's words were very helpful…

Continuing from there, he headed for a second time to Moka, finally released from his pestering shackle called ''Amaya Ken''. Meanwhile, seeing him, the Kendo Club's members jolted backwards, utterly scared, their faces covered in sweat.

''W-Whoa! He's coming!'' one of them pointed out with a trembling voice.

''T-That man crushed Amaya-taicho in less than five seconds…W-We're dead meat if he happens to fight us!'' a second one added with a similar voice.

Then, a third one approached Moka, targeting her with a hose he was holding. ''I-I'm not gonna share the same fate as Taicho. I-I don't want to be beaten to a pulp!'' he claimed, shaking like a fish. ''Come! As long as we keep threatening Akashiya-san with our hoses, he won't be able to do anything to us.''

With that proposition, the rest of his team, together with the others who didn't hold a hose, deemed that he was right, and wanting to secure their safety, they all assembled around Moka, aiming all the hoses at her.

That sight made Ichigo frown. ''What are you doing?'' he asked them intimidatingly.

''What it looks like! You beat Amaya-taicho, but you won't lay your hands on us. If you attempt it, Akashiya-san here will have the showering of her life,'' the guy who suggested the threatening plan responded, trying in vain to appear confident.

Ichigo seemed peeved after that speech. ''Oh, man… '' he sighed in exasperation, touching his forehead with his left fingers. ''Hey, cut it out while it's still early. This joke went too far, and seriously needs to stop.''

''T-This is no joke! Try anything, and Akashiya-san will suffer the consequences.''

''Haa… How troublesome...'' Ichigo sighed for a second time, and unleashed his reiatsu all over the area, leading half of those boys to fall on all fours and the rest to faint. They feared that he was planning to kick their butts like he did with their captain, but the truth was that Ichigo wasn't such a coward to attack people who didn't wish to fight. His principles as a warrior wouldn't allow it. Not to mention that,according to his logic, crushing so many people on his very first day at school was bound to cause him trouble with the school staff. He just found a place to host him,and it would be pretty inconvinient to lose it. Therefore, subduing them with his reiatsu was the best solution for that situation.

''Gnkkk… What is this?'' Moka questioned, feeling a massive force pressing onto her body.

''Sorry! Seems like I overdid it,'' Ichigo apologized as he arrived in front of her.

''What did you do?''

''A little trick we Soul Reapers use to hold down annoying fellows like them,'' Ichigo explained, and picked her up in his arms, bridal style. ''Raise your youki and I think that you are gonna be fine. From what I can tell, you possess a pretty high-level energy.''

As a reply to that, Moka nodded in affirmation, and cloaked her entire body in a dark violet aura.

''Better?'' Ichigo asked her with a smile.

''Better…'' Moka answered, wearing one of her own. ''But, you know… do you really have to carry me like that? If I try, I will probably manage to walk by myself.''

''Denied! You're in bad shape, and I'm not so eager to see you collapsing on the floor,'' Ichigo retorted, his tone sounding unwavering and determined.

Concluding that further arguments would be meaningless, Moka gave up, telling him to do whatever pleased him, He did exactly that, taking the way towards the infirmary by walking past the kneeling and unconscious swordsmen like a boss.

However, after a few steps, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

''Ah, yeah… Almost forgot…'' he murmured and turned back, fixing his sight on the Kendo Club's members, who were still conscious. ''Before I leave, I have a message for Amaya-san, and all of you: Hurt any of my friends for a dumb reason again, and I **won't** be as kind as I was today!'' Ichigo threatened them, his eyes glowing with an intense, azure shine, while the people he was directing his words to, were nodding repeatedly in agreement, very close to peeing themselves. ''Good!'' he commented, satisfied, and continued on his way.

''You are quite the scary guy!'' Moka joked after hearing his not-so-friendly message.

''Yeah… I get that a lot…'' Ichigo replied, not lowering his eyes down to her.

''Heh?! Honestly?!'' she asked him, cocking an eyebrow, a bit surprised.

Ichigo went silent on that for a few seconds, and he smirked, lowering his gaze at the silver-haired girl. ''…Naahh!'' he responded funnily, earning a small chuckle from the vampire.

Next, he used his shunpo, moving at lightning speed toward the infirmary so Moka could improve her condition.

* * *

In the infirmary…

Transferring Moka to the infirmary in a matter of seconds, Ichigo asked the nurse there to examine his friend, and gives her a treatment for all the damage she suffered because of the water. With that, Moka found herself lying on a bed, having an IV installed in her left arm with a liquid that contained traces of youki, to replenish her lost energy, and restore her body's liveliness.

As or Ichigo, he was sitting on a chair, on the right of her bed.

''Ahh~… How pathetic! I'm a Shinso, yet I let those idiots mess me up…'' Moka whined.

''Don't be. Water's your species' weakness, right?'' Ichigo told her to ease her shame.

''Yeah, but either way, I allowed them to make a fool of me. If my father learns about that, I'm up for a **good **lecture!''

''How? Is he here?''

''Currently, no… He's on a trip for some business… but he is scheduled to return in a week.''

''I see… Then I suppose that I should keep you company during that lecture.''

''Huh?! Why?''

''Because **I **am the reason everything happened. It was me that drew Amaya-san to resort to threatening you so he could force me to fight. In addition, if I had handled everyone from the beginning, you wouldn't have to go through that Hell… If you're guilty for letting them treat you like that, I'm guilty for not stopping them when it was still early,'' Ichigo claimed, frowning in irritation. He had sworn to protect whoever was in need, but he failed concerning Moka's case, as he deemed, and she ended up bedridden.

That moment, Moka felt responsible for driving him to criticize himself so harshly to try to lessen her burden, and thought to pat his left shoulder with her right hand as an act of compassion. Unfortunately, before she touched him, her vision blurred for an instant, and she became dizzy, crashing onto his chest.

''Woah!'' Ichigo exclaimed, catching her swiftly so she wouldn't slide down. ''Are you okay?''

''Mnn… Yeah… It was only a slight dizziness…'' Moka replied, lifting her face up to witness that she was inches away from Ichigo's. As expected, she blushed. ''Ehh… I-I'm sorry!'' she apologized, averting her eyes to the right from embarrassment.

''No sweat! You didn't do it on purpose, and surely I'm glad you didn't fall down,'' Ichigo confessed, a caring smile on his face, which intensified Moka's blush when she took a small glimpse of it on the edge of her vision.

''Hm? Is something the matter, Moka?'' Ichigo asked, puzzled.

''…Eh…? No… Noth-''' Moka was about to answer, but she was interrupted unexpectedly by the loud sliding sound of the infirmary's door, a little before Tsukune and the rest of her group stormed inside the room. The nurse was familiar with them, so she informed them about Moka's condition after she finished adjusting the IV.

Noticing them, the blushing girl distanced herself from Ichigo not to raise any suspicions, and greeted them, still a bit flustered.

From there on, the infirmary was filled with her friends' upset voices, who were asking non-stop questions about what took place after she left with Ichigo, who hurt her, why they did it, and if she was all right.

It was then that Ichigo revealed everything to them, to relieve Moka of the responsibility to push herself to narrate the entire incident, closing his speech with an apology for not keeping their precious friend safe. Following that and desiring to give the gang some private time, he chose to leave the room, heading for the cafeteria to grab a bite. It was a fact that he hadn't eaten anything since lunch!

* * *

Several hours later…

Time flew by fast for the rest of the day, and now Ichigo was inside his room, preparing himself to go to sleep.

''Haa… Today was such a hectic day…'' he whined to himself in a tired tone, drying his hair with a towel.

As usual, before lying down, he took a shower to relax his body from the day's stress.

''Hope tomorrow won't be so problematic,'' Ichigo added wistfully, and approached his window, pulling its curtain to the side to gaze outside, towards the female dorms. ''I can't allow anything similar to happen to Moka or anyone else in the future… I have no idea what is to come, but I can't repeat today's blunder. I didn't get my powers back to start letting people down!'' he claimed, frowning and simultaneously clenching his right fist.

That instant, the light in the room across him was turned on, drawing his attention.

''Um?'' he questioned, and subconsciously narrowed his eyelids to check what was going on.

There, he stumbled upon a sight he never imagined, and caused his jaw to drop in astonishment.

Through the window across his room, he could clearly see Moka walking around the place with only a long towel, which she threw on her bed a second later, staying totally naked. Apparently, she had also taken a shower herself, and was about to change into her pajamas.

Realizing that, Ichigo's eyes went wide, and without delay, he closed the curtain, blushing. Other than Yoruichi, he hadn't seen any other woman in her birthday suit, and truthfully, he didn't wish to see something additional that would make it too awkward to associate with Moka. He had taken a liking to that girl's character, and had deduced that they could become good friends if circumstances were to allow it.

In the end, he turned the lights in his room off and jumped on his bed, shoving his face into his pillow, and struggling unsuccessfully to forget what he witnessed. As things stood, Moka's naked image had been burned completely into his memory, indicating that the rest of the night was bound to be pretty difficult for the teen Soul Reaper.

* * *

**A/N:**

**1=Hope you liked the fight. It wasn't as grand as others Ichigo had before, but I think it fulfilled its purpose as an early warm-up for the action. In any case, annihilating an entire club on his first day at school isn't something that can leave a good impression, right?**

**Once again, my thanks to my beta reader mrtysh for her important help!**

**See you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

-Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario + Vampire. They belong to their respective owners.-

a=Narration and descriptions

"a"=Dialogues

_a_=Inner voices or thoughts

**a**=Intense dialogues

**Before we cut to the chase, a small something:**

**As I mentioned in chap 1, I will need to use a bit oocness to create the chars' relationships. Please, don't take it bad. Fanfics are ooc by nature, if you think about it. None of us is one of the original artists, and our stories differ from the original stories' plot anyway.**

**Basically, if oocness didn't exist, Ichigo would never bother to find himself a girlfriend, and Moka would remain eternally glued to Tsukune.**

**Now, have a pleasant reading and enjoy!**

* * *

**5: Connection!**

* * *

It was the morning of Ichigo's second day as a student of Youkai Academy, and currently the Soul Reaper was attending his morning classes with little enthusiasm. A small reason was the rumor that he beat Amaya's orichalcum sword, which drove people to gossip and whisper about him - something that annoyed him - and the main reason, the incident last night. No matter how much he struggled, ultimately he couldn't erase the image of Moka's naked body from his mind, thus reducing the duration of his sleep significantly, and leaving his ''batteries'' half empty.

Naturally, his state of being created many questions from Moka and her friends, but there was no way in a billion years that he would tell them the truth. He simply slipped out by lying about nagging mosquitoes in his room, and disturbing noises from the outside.

Too bad that the entire event wasn't over yet, sure to cause him even more inconvenience throughout the day.

* * *

Several hours later…

From that point, the hours passed by quietly, and when classes were finally over, every student gathered their stuff and headed to their respective clubs.

For Ichigo, that marked his official entry into the Newspaper Club, as well as his very first experience in making a newspaper. Not that he was anxious about that, but either way, he had a slight fear about how things would go in the clubroom. During all his class periods, he couldn't focus so well on the subjects because when he occasionally looked at Moka, his mind reminded him of yesterday's incident, distracting him.

Whatever he was, he didn't cease being a teen boy in his prime. Certainly, he had a little experience in naked women thanks to Yoruichi and her immature prank the first time she showed him her true form, yet that didn't mean that he was so accustomed to the sight. Moreover, when the incident with Yoruichi took place, he had much more serious stuff to worry about, so he quickly forgot it. In contrast to that time, last night everything occurred under very normal circumstances, allowing his brain to leisurely store all the details of the image he saw; a fact that according to logic was expected to have some after-effects. A type of effect Ichigo wanted to avoid by any means, but without success…

* * *

In the Newspaper Club's room…

After assembling their remaining members, namely Kokoa and Fong Fong, Moka's gang accompanied Ichigo to their club to sign a registry form so they could hand it to Ms. Nekonome later.

Next, they showed him around, simultaneously explaining the standard procedure of gathering scoops and printing a newspaper. Thankfully, Ichigo was a quick learner, so he caught every tip fast, prompting the rest to let him practice by assisting them in their work. He was an amateur, but his ability to adapt seemed especially promising.

''Well done, Ichigo-san! You are handling the presser really good-desu! At this rate, you will master it in no time,'' praised Yukari, who took the role of Ichigo's supervisor.

Since Ichigo seemed so reliable, the others deemed it wise to appoint him to the presser, so he could have a chance to master it sooner and be able to operate it by himself after a while if there was no other person available. Of course, being a novice, he required someone to watch over him so he wouldn't screw up, and following a short conference, everyone agreed for that person to be Yukari. She was the smartest one there, making her an appropriate instructor.

''Glad to hear that, but as I told you, you can simply call me by my name. There's no need for anything additional,'' Ichigo smiled casually.

''I know-desu. It's just that my parents taught me to always add honorifics when I'm talking to a person outside my family,'' Yukari explained before noticing something troubling on the edge of her vision. ''Oh! The ink bottle is almost empty. We have to refill it, or the remaining papers will be half inked and we will be forced to throw them away.''

''I see…'' Ichigo responded and turned to the door. ''If that's the case, I'm gonna go fetch some.''

''Do you remember where the school storage is?''

''Not exactly, but I have a slight idea.''

''Then, it would be best if I go… If we delay too much, we will fall behind our schedule,'' Yukari stated, and, turning off the presser, she directed her gaze to the door. ''I will be back shortly-desu!'' she claimed, walking outside and leaving Ichigo to wait for her beside the presser, silent.

_''Haa… Hope this doesn't keep us here for too long. I barely slept two hours and I feel like I'll end up collapsing on this machine…_'' Ichigo thought, staring at the presser, his facial expression revealing his severe exhaustion. ''_Man, why did I have to pull the goddamn curtain las-_'' he was about to add, skeptical, but he felt something touching him, and reflexively he shifted his attention there, witnessing Moka standing close to him, her left hand on his shoulder.

''Are you okay, Ichigo? Your face is kind of pale,'' Moka pointed out, fixing her eyes on his face.

''Eh? Ah, no… I'm fine! Just a bit tired, if I have to say…'' Ichigo answered, faking a half-energetic expression.

''Would you like to leave? There's no need to push yourself into staying if you need to rest.''

''No, it's no big deal. You said that it would be pretty helpful if I learn how to operate this machine within the week, and anyway, I would feel guilty to ditch you guys right after you started teaching me your work…_WOAH!_'' Ichigo responded, again attempting to look pumped, but in the process his eyes accidentally fell to her chest, causing him to blush faintly after an inner scream. The reason was that upon seeing that part of her body, he had another flash of the vampire in her birthday suit, leading his heart to beat intensely.

Swiftly, he turned to the other side in an attempt to hide his discomfort.

''What's wrong?'' Moka asked, curiosity peaked by his sudden action.

''Nothing… I just think that I heard Yukari calling from afar. Maybe she requires someone to give her a hand with the ink bottles,'' Ichigo lied, trying to justify the shift of his attention.

''Weird! I didn't hear anything, and also, Yukari-chan has performed the same task many times already, but never had any difficulties… Are you sure that it wasn't your imagination?'' Moka asked again, uncertain about the validity of Ichigo's words.

''You think so, huh…? Well… I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to check in any case. There's always a possibility that I'm right,'' Ichigo replied in a nervous tone, feeling uneasy about using such cheap excuses.

''I can't deny this… So, would like me to accompany you? From what I heard earlier when you two were discussing, you don't remember where the storage is.''

''Naah… It's not like I don't remember at all, and you have work to do here with Tsukune and the guys,'' Ichigo answered, and before Moka have the chance to say anything else, he headed hastily out of the clubroom.

Behind him, the vampire was staring at the door, filled with perplexed emotions. Ichigo's behavior during the past hours as well as at the moment was quite bizarre. Could it be that he was mad at her for getting him caught in that mess yesterday by being careless and allowing those men to take her hostage to force him to obey their leader…? Whatever it was, there was **definitely** something bothering Ichigo and as his new friend, she had to find out what.

* * *

Some minutes later…

Retrieving the ink supplies necessary for the presser, Yukari returned to the clubroom, only to witness everyone welcoming her with a series of puzzled expressions. It was a bit later that she learned that Ichigo left to assist her, so she announced to the gang that she hadn't seen him while she was in the storage area. That created various questions about where had he gone and what happened to him, mainly from Moka, who was worried about the cause of his disturbance.

* * *

A few additional minutes later...

In the end, Ichigo appeared back in the clubroom, explaining that he had an unexpected stomach ache and he had to shut himself in the toilet to empty his stomach. Naturally, that was another excuse, and a very lame one at that, but he couldn't think of anything else to justify his long absence and simultaneously prevent the possibility of any nagging questions from them. No one wants to ask about that kind of stuff!

The truth was that he had moved to a far location to sit down and plan how to get over his problem with his mind flashes… He couldn't! Moka's naked image had glued itself into his subconscious and wouldn't let go for some absurd reason.

Ultimately, and without making any progress, he was left with only one option: Go back to the clubroom to not worry the others.

There, he remained quiet for most of the time, trying to minimize his interactions with Moka. He felt like a huge jerk for that; still, it sure was better than having his mind disrupting his work by showing him lewd images. Hopefully, he would have a good chance to apologize in the future.

What he wasn't aware of yet was that the chance to do it would arrive a lot sooner than he imagined.

* * *

When the sun set…

Hours came and passed, welcoming the night and leading the Newspaper Club's to wrap everything up for the day, and go to their dorms for some food and relaxation.

Ichigo was pretty delighted with the idea since he could finally manage to lie down and recover the sleep he lost last night…

Indeed, after they split up, he ate something light, not to affect his sleep, and following that walked up to his room, ready to take a quick shower and crash on his bed, full of exhaustion.

''Haaaa~… I waited for this the entire day!'' Ichigo claimed blissfully, making himself cozy on his mattress. ''Today was one hell of a tiresome day… At least we didn't have anything bothersome like yesterday. I'm too beat to handle anything of that sort at the moment,'' he added, placing his forearms behind his head like a pillow. After depleting almost all his energy working at the club, his sole desire was to get a good night's sleep, to relieve his body of the pent-up tiredness. Too bad that his wish wouldn't come true!

From nowhere, a dark figure resembling a young woman with bat-like wings flew near his window at high-speed, throwing a small rock with a paper attached to it inside the room. Hearing the sound of the rock landing on his floor, Ichigo swiftly jumped up from his bed to see what happened, spotting the rock with his eyes. He picked it up, curious what was all that about.

A few second later, he discovered that the paper was a note addressed to him, writing: ''We need to talk. Please, come to meet me beside the fountain between our dorms. I will be waiting for you – Moka.''

From the look of things, the Soul Reaper's long-awaited rest would have to be put on hold. It wasn't hard to guess that Moka's purpose for asking that meeting was most likely to ask him about his earlier behavior. Should he not go then? No, that would worsen the situation… But going had also many risks.

''Tch! This isn't good! If I meet Moka, I'm doomed… I was acting off all day, so she probably wants to learn of the cause… Snap! I seriously don't feel like going, but that would make her deduce that I'm hiding something. Haa… What a mess!'' Ichigo huffed, his face revealing great confusion. He was in a tough bind, with his mind unable to give him a solution.

It was at that moment that he wished God would give him a little help, because if he was left by himself, it was most certain that he couldn't decide on anything. Surprisingly, his prayer would actually be answered, but not from God; more like the Devil.

Without a warning, a *click* sound echoed inside Ichigo's left ear, and after that Mayuri's voice was heard speaking in an annoyed tone. ''What a pathetic specimen you are, Kurosaki Ichigo!''

Upon that, Ichigo flinched. ''Kurotsuchi-san?!'' he questioned in astonishment. Next, his expression changed into an irritated one. ''**What the heck were you doing for these past days? **Do you find it funny to leave people in foreign dimensions without making contact?''

''As a matter of fact, it **is** partly entertaining. Also, my personal schedule isn't of your concern. You are too carefree to comprehend the great responsibilities of a busy man such as myself… More importantly, why can't you do your job right as a proper specimen?''

''What are you talking about?''

''I'm referring to your hesitation to meet that female monster to obtain further precious data about her and her world. My research on human psychology revealed that people are more willing to share information when they are to feel comfortable in a private conversation… Hence, forget whatever pointless worries hold you down, and go bring me what I instructed of you.''

''Easy for you to say, but this doesn't apply for me. My relationship with her has gotten a bit awkward lately.''

''I'm aware of that. When I mentioned that I'm receiving ''everything'' you see and hear, I meant **everything**!''

Ichigo wide-eyed upon that statement, sweating around his face. ''Ho-Hold on a sec! You aren't implying that…''

''…I witnessed the scene of that female's nudity? **Obviously!**'' Mayuri supplied for him bluntly.

Ichigo felt like he was struck by lightning in that instant. It was already pretty shameful that he had seen Moka in such a vulnerable, private moment, but having others share that moment was something that made him want to bump his head on the wall out of guilt for accidentally spreading Moka's naked image. If Mayuri had seen it, logically his assistants had, too.

''This is why I detest beings of low intellect… You pretend to possess a high degree of intelligence, and when your hormone levels rise, your ability to reason malfunctions.''

''In any case, what I'm going to do with my friend isn't your business!'' Ichigo declared, frowning and gritting his teeth, both from frustration as well as regret for making Moka a public sight.

As a response to Ichigo's words, Mayuri activated the transmitter's extra function, sending a painful shock to the Soul Reaper's brain.

''**Guaahh!'' **Ichigo gasped, grabbing his head tightly.

''Your every action affects my grand experiment, thus it becomes my business, Kurosaki Ichigo… Now stop wasting time and go meet the female...'' Mayuri ordered Ichigo in a demanding tone. He orchestrated the entire project to get results, and he was determined to get them no matter what.

''Ghkk….and if I don't?'' Ichigo asked with a pained voice.

''I will simply test to what extent your brain can withstand several electric shocks before you turn into a vegetable,'' Mayuri answered dryly, no remorse in his speech.

As things stood, Ichigo didn't have much of a say on the case. If he didn't go to the rendezvous with Moka, his brain would end up roasted. It angered him gravely having to succumb to Mayuri, but either way, due to the latest development, there were more negatives to him staying in his room than to him meeting Moka.

''Grr… All right! You win, Kurotsuchi-san… Just keep in mind that when I get back, the two of us are gonna have a** long** talk…'' Ichigo announced to Mayuri in a hostile tone, clenching his fists, enraged.

''Yes, yes… whatever…'' Mayuri replied, unfazed, and the following second cut off the communication between them with a *click*.

As for Ichigo, he wore his school uniform, and headed to the place Moka indicated inside the note.

* * *

Outside the dorms…

Moka stood near the fountain between the male and female dorms, waiting patiently for Ichigo to arrive.

''Hmm… he's kind of late. Could it be tha-'' Moka murmured while checking her wrist-watch, but suddenly sensed a presence approaching her, and swiftly shifted her attention to its place to witness Ichigo walking closer to her.

''Sorry for the delay,'' Ichigo apologized as he stepped in front of her.

''It's okay. I didn't wait too long,'' Moka replied, focusing her eyes on his clothes. ''Why did you wear the uniform? We are simply meeting outside the dorms.''

''I had no choice. I don't have any casual clothes,'' Ichigo shrugged. He hadn't visited any other places to expand his wardrobe.

''I see…'' Moka mumbled and looked back to his face. ''Come! Let's sit. Talking like this will be tiring, and I know that you pushed yourself too much today,'' she suggested, targeting her eyes at the fountain's wide, stone basin.

Ichigo nodded positively to that, and a few minutes later both found themselves sitting comfortably on the basin.

''So… You must be wondering why I called you out here at this time…'' Moka told Ichigo casually.

''To ask me about the way I was acting today, right?'' Ichigo responded straightforwardly.

Moka's eyebrows twitched slightly in amazement. ''Heh! You are pretty sharp, among other things… Guess I should have expected that,'' she confessed with a small chuckle. ''Indeed, that's why I sent you that note… I'm not entirely sure if I'm right or not, but you seemed distant during classes and club activities… Could it be that, in the end, you can't forgive me for causing you such an inconvenience yesterday?''

''Don't be silly, Moka. I already said that I don't hold anything against you for that incident.''

''Then, why? Did I do something else to anger you, maybe?''

''I'm not angry. Also, you didn't do anything wrong… If there's someone who made a blunder here, it's me,'' Ichigo was forced to partly reveal, to erase any remaining guilt from her mind.

''You?! What could you possibly have done to drive you to keep me away?'' Moka asked, leaning toward him, an intense look in her eyes.

She was quite resolved to discover the cause behind Ichigo's attitude, and the Soul Reaper could distinguish that easily, both from her words as well as her stare. However, blurting out the truth was impossible.

Feeling uneasy, Ichigo averted his sight to the ground, adopting a complex expression. ''Sorry, Moka… I can't answer any of these questions…''

''Why?''

''I just can't. It's… complicated…''

''How so? What did you do that's so forbidden for me to hear about?''

''I told you, I can't say… I think it would be best if we leave it behind, and move on… ''

''I can't when you're acting so strangely!''

''Still, I can't tell you the reason… Don't take it bad, but it's something I prefer to keep to myself.''

Moka pouted slightly upon hearing that, and leaned her body back, crossing her arms in front her chest stubbornly. ''Gosh! This is hopeless!''

''Again, sorry …''

''I don't want an apology, Ichigo! I want to learn what's happening! '' Moka claimed, and touched her forehead with her right fingers. ''Haa… At times like this, I wish I was as good as my late other half in persuading people to open themselves up to me,'' she sighed in exasperation, lowering her eyelids.

On the other hand, at the mentioning of her ''other half,'' Ichigo cocked an eyebrow, a bit taken aback.

''Other half?'' he questioned, looking up at her, curious.

''Yes… Not too long ago, my body was the host to two souls that resided inside it simultaneously,'' Moka explained, her expression switching to a serious one.

''Two souls?! How come?''

Those questions drove Moka to give Ichigo a brief narration about her past, where her mother sacrificed herself to save her from Alucard, sealing simultaneously the girl in a rosary, and creating an artificial personality in her place to guard her. She closed her speech by mentioning her fusion with her other self's remnants within the past few months, awakening a new, mixed personality.

Normally, she wouldn't have bothered to say anything since Ichigo was refusing to answer her own questions, but apparently her lost half's sensitivity had reduced her original stubbornness.

''So, that's why the pink hair tips? I deduced that it was due to a fashion trend or something,'' Ichigo commented, working out what she had told him.

''No, it's a product of our fusion...'' Moka replied, subconsciously loosening her tensed body stance.

''You had it tough, huh?''

''You can't imagine how much!''

''Actually, I do.''

''Hm? What does this mean?''

To answer that, Ichigo gave her similarly a brief narration of his past, talking about his mother's sacrifice, the "demon", as he called him, inside him, and his hard training to control him; everything but the most important parts that could blow his cover.

''It sounds almost unbelievable! I never thought that I would meet a person with such similar circumstances,'' Moka remarked, astounded, blinking.

''Neither did I…'' Ichigo smiled slightly. Moka seemed like a very interesting person from the beginning, and after learning all that about her life, the Soul Reaper could verify that his interest in her doubled. One doesn't often meet people who relate to their own circumstances to such an extent. ''…The thing that I can't understand is why you're so fixated on resembling your lost half so much. What's the point of being someone else?'' he continued. ''If you ask me, you are okay the way you are.''

''It's the same as your problem… It's complicated,'' Moka answered, very troubled, lowering her eyelids while envisioning Tsukune confessing his love for her other half.

Reading her facial expressions, Ichigo also lowered his eyelids, but for another reason, and placed his left palm on her right shoulder as an act of sympathy. Moka looked up to his face after sensing his touch.

Ichigo did something similar, lowering his face and locking his eyes with hers. ''Look, Moka… I don't have any right to tell you what to do with your life, but in my opinion, chasing after someone else's shadow is stupid… You're yourself. If people can't accept you the way you are, it's** their** problem, **not **yours… Concerning me, I never pretended to be someone else. I am myself… Kurosaki Ichigo…'' he stated in a sturdy tone, pointing his right index finger at her face, ''…and you are yours… Akashiya Moka…'' he concluded, gently tightening his grip on her left shoulder to emphasize to his speech.

Moka felt an explosion occurring inside her upon hearing those words. No one had spoken to her like that; not even Tsukune! Furthermore, Ichigo laid down** exactly** what she wished to hear for a long time now. It wasn't like she hated that her character was changing by fusing with Outer's, but she felt that Tsukune paid more attention to those traits than to her. It was like he was striving to resurrect the dead personality through Moka. Of course, she could always be mistaken, yet she couldn't cease being troubled by that thought.

Compared to that, Ichigo was looking straight at her, without any lingering feelings clouding his vision about the person who sat across from him. That moment, mimicking a phenomenon of the previous day, she blushed; currently more than yesterday. Whoever Kurosaki Ichigo was, he had absurdly drawn out a reaction that she kept exclusively for Tsukune... That realization threw her off track about what was going on with her.

As for Ichigo, he also came to a realization of his own, noticing that during the past minutes he was talking to Moka, he surprisingly didn't have any disturbing, lewd flashes. Most likely, those flashes were an impulsive after-effect of his shock of seeing Moka naked, which, to his good luck, had faded away at last.

The funny thing was that there was still something they both hadn't realized, and it was the fact that they were currently staring in each other's eyes, sitting closely under a bright, full moon that lighted the fountain's water, making it glow. If someone were to add a slight breeze in the atmosphere and consider the silence around them, the whole scene could actually be mistaken as the climax in a romantic movie, where everything foreshadowed the main couple's kiss.

However, the two of them weren't playing in any sort romantic movie, thus the laws of reality still applied…

While both teens seemed so engrossed in their staring, the loud sound of a *ding-dong* was about to come and snap them out of their daze. It was the school building's large clock that echoed across the area, stating that it was close to midnight.

''I suppose our time's up… If we don't return to our rooms, waking up tomorrow will be a huge hassle,'' Ichigo pointed out, standing up.

Moka did the same.

''Shall I presume that even at this point, you won't tell me why you were so distant?'' Moka asked him, wearing a gentle smile. With everything she heard a few minutes ago, all her frustration for Ichigo not answering her questions had mellowed down.

''Yeah… But the good news is that my problem has been taken care of.''

''How?'' Moka asked, puzzled.

''I'm not sure… though I want you to trust me on this: From now on, I'm gonna be once again the Kurosaki Ichigo you first met.'' Ichigo reassured her, a wide smile appearing. His issue was resolved one way or another, so he could revert back to his usual self, continuing to enjoy Moka's company.

That statement led Moka to adopt a radiant look on her face. She hadn't succeeded on her starting goal, but her friend looked like he overcame whatever was bothering him, therefore there was probably no reason to keep feeling worried.

In the end, they shook hands warmly to seal the renewing of their friendship, and headed back to their dorms to rest.

* * *

Next day's afternoon…

Compared to the previous day, the one following it flowed significantly more comfortably as well as pleasantly, with Ichigo interacting casually with everyone, including Moka, who wore a blissful grin on her face most of the time.

When classes finished, he, Moka and the others moved to the clubroom to resume their work on their current print, announcing a little before they get into business that they had scheduled a welcoming party for him, which they would celebrate on Saturday in a popular karaoke café. At the same time, that was also a perfect chance for Ichigo to buy himself some casual clothes. The ones handling the expenses would be the Newspaper Club, as a gift for his decision to join them.

Ichigo was kind of reluctant on the second idea, but he agreed since he could always work part-time somewhere to repay them.

What no one was aware of then was that this small outing of theirs was bound to be far more impactful than what they originally expected.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Many miles away from Youkai Academy, a black-haired girl of slightly small body structure was sitting in the living room of a glorious castle, staring persistently at a picture displaying a younger version of Moka together with all of her family.

''Soon, my beloved Moka…'' she murmured, caressing the picture. ''Soon we will be reunited, and this time it'll be **forever!** '' she continued, a tear appearing inside of her crimson right eye.

* * *

**A/N:**

**1=There you have it, fellows! Next time, our yandere girl makes her appearance.**

**2=It might seem to some like I'm rushing, but I assure you that it's not that. I'm simply building up the relationship, one ''brick'' at a time. It's still early for the crucial revelations and confessions.**

**Once again my gratitude to my beta reader mrtysh for her excellent work!**

**See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

-Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario + Vampire. They belong to their respective owners.-

a=Narration and descriptions

"a"=Dialogues

_a_=Inner voices or thoughts

**a**=Intense dialogues

**This came out a bit longer, but it's almost full of different ''flags'', so I couldn't shorten it too much.**

**Also:**

**For imagination's sake, I think the best voice for Akua would be Kana Hanazawa's. She can be equally adorable and psychotic (Akame ga Kill-Tokyo Ghoul).**

* * *

**6: An eventful celebration!**

* * *

It was two days after the Newspaper Club's members announced their idea of a celebration for Ichigo officially becoming one of them, and as the scheduled day arrived, all of them traveled to the Youkai Realm's capital, currently walking along its streets.

Ichigo was pretty surprised to see a monster city looking so similar to a normal, human one. Due to that dimension's nature, he deduced that it would be a place full of magic shops – like something in fairy tales – as well as other bizarre stores. In contrast to that, the areas around him were full of modern buildings that utilized electricity.

''So… What do you think of Youkai Capital?'' Moka asked the Soul Reaper as she noticed him surveying the multiple structures.

''Not what I expected, but surely impressive,'' Ichigo replied, a small grin on his face. That city gave him a nostalgic feeling about his home town.

''Wait until we visit Youkai Mall. **Then,** you will see more impressive stuff!'' Moka remarked, mimicking Ichigo's grin.

''Youkai Mall?'' Ichigo questioned, curious.

''Uhm! There is a vast variety of stores that sell clothes there, so you will surely be able to find some to your liking,'' Tsukune mentioned with a nod.

''Aahh~ how I would love to get some for myself! It's been **so** long since I went shopping…'' Kurumu whined in a childish tone.

''Maybe next time, Kurumu-chan. Don't forget that today is dedicated to Ichigo,'' Tsukune reminded her politely.

''Greedy cow-woman,'' Mizore commented bluntly, deadpanned, prompting Kurumu to stick out her tongue at the snow girl.

Behind them, Yukari, Kokoa and Fong Fong were following their elders, each wearing a different facial expression; Yukari a disappointed one, directed at Kurumu's immaturity, Kokoa a bored one, since in reality she wanted to sleep rather than walk around the capital, and Fong Fong a carefree one for the joy of accompanying his idol and his friends.

''Sounds good! Also, thanks for offering to lend me some money'' Ichigo thanked Tsukune, grateful.

''Don't mention it… And it was Moka-san's idea in the first place. She told us that you need to buy some clothes, so she deserves more of the credit,'' Tsukune responded, a bit flattered, pointing his eyes toward Moka.

Ichigo did the same, his grin evolving into a warm smile. ''Thanks, Moka… I owe you one!'' he thanked her, earning a faint blush, which she tried to hide right away not to give any wrong ideas to Tsukune.

Despite that, she wasn't fast enough to hide it from Kurumu, who was left somewhat perplexed upon noticing it.

* * *

Several minutes later…

Covering a significant amount of ground, Ichigo and his new friends reached the Youkai Realm's main mall, commencing their search for an appropriate store that could provide Ichigo clothes closer to his personal style.

Ultimately, they settled on a store with urban clothes, where Ichigo quickly began checking out outfits, which the gang rated every time he exited the changing room.

Surprisingly, by doing so, they realized after a little while that whatever clothes Ichigo tried on fit his figure like a glove, rendering him a great model for urban-styled clothes. Furthermore, the sight of him wearing the various new clothes drove many female customers inside the store to neglect their own shopping, and fix their gazes on him, fawning over the orange-haired teen.

''Hey, hey! Take a look at that hunk! He's so cool with those clothes!'' a teenage girl squeaked enthusiastically, staring at Ichigo.

''Wonder if one of those girls is his girlfriend. I, like, **totally** want to go ask for his number!'' a second girl declared, clenching her fists.

''Youngsters these days are so fashionable… Ooh, if only I was twenty years younger…'' a middle-aged woman murmured wistfully.

Hearing them, Kurumu popped a vein in her forehead. Ichigo was indeed very appealing in those clothes, but her Destined One was still better to her mind, and according to her logic, as his supposed future lover, she had a duty to correct some things.

Therefore, she was led to the decision of pressing Tsukune to try on a few clothes himself, simply to display his own charm to those unreasonable women, as she called them.

* * *

A few additional minutes later…

Not having much of a choice, Tsukune succumbed to Kurumu's call, starting to try out clothes in a changing room next to Ichigo's.

Unfortunately for her, even though she gave it her best effort to coordinate his attire, the majority of the favor was still directed at Ichigo, gravely irritating the succubus.

''**Unbelievable! **Those stupid women! How can they not see Tsukune's brilliance?!'' Kurumu grunted, scowling.

''Apparently, they have different tastes,'' Mizore responded, not so bothered about other people's opinions.

''Whatever! I can't accept them ignoring Tsukune's charm,'' Kurumu stated, and released her succubi nails. ''I'm going to give them a piece of my mind,'' she added, walking toward the women to defend her love's honor.

''Here we go again…'' Mizore sighed, and, planning to prevent a troublesome ruckus inside the store, she froze the floor beneath Kurumu, forcing her to wobble.

What she hadn't planned was what would happen next!

Not being able to maintain her balance, Kurumu started back-stepping subconsciously, to avoid falling down. She ended up on the closed curtain of Ichigo's changing room, grabbing at it, and simultaneously ripping it with her long nails.

That resulted in revealing a shirtless Ichigo, who was blinking astonished after witnessing the curtain being ripped from nowhere. Good thing that he had the time to pull up his pants, because it would be extremely embarrassing to be seen in his underwear by all the people there.

''Oops!'' Mizore whispered in a monotone, expressionless as usual.

As for the others, most of them were equally astonished with Ichigo, while Kurumu was rubbing her butt to ease the pain of the fall she couldn't stop. Tsukune dashed out of his changing room to find out what happened, and Moka blushed again, deeper than earlier, due to laying her eyes upon the well-sculpted muscles of Ichigo's upper body. Tsukune had also shown some improvements in his physique after his training with Touhou Fuhai, but Ichigo's state was of an amazing scale.

The rest of the women in the store thought so, too, cheering and whistling…

In the end, feeling completely bothered by all that, Ichigo grabbed some of the clothes he liked the most and headed to the cashier to pay, so they could leave and escape that annoying situation.

* * *

One and a half hours later…

Leaving the store and Ichigo's loud, female admirers behind, he and the others finally went to the karaoke café, as their schedule indicated, to celebrate the Soul Reaper's entry into their club.

There was a small problem, though! Despite being pretty skilled in a variety of different fields, even Kurosaki Ichigo had a few weaknesses, one of them being singing. He had a little experience in playing an instrument, namely the bass, because of his close friendship with Yasutora Sado, but singing was still out of his league. Thus, after everyone ordered their drinks and started to pick out songs, he alone remained silent, contentedly sipping an espresso, sat on a couch near the wall.

It was then that Ichigo realized for the first time that Moka's voice was one that stood on equal ground with the voices of professional singers. Listening to the others was enjoyable enough, but whenever Moka took the microphone, his mind dived into a sea of delight.

On the other hand, the vampire noticed for some time that Ichigo wasn't making the slightest effort stand up and sing, and she felt bad that her friend was not having as much fun as he should. That celebration was for him, and it would be meaningless if he wasn't enjoying it to the fullest…

Wishing to avoid that, she approached him after her last song, grabbing another microphone in the process. ''Here! It must be boring staying all alone in the corner,'' Moka told him, extending the spare microphone to him. ''I will need a partner for the next song, so how about we team up?'' she asked him, a sweet smile decorating her face.

Before answering, Ichigo adopted a hesitant expression. ''Erm… I'm not so sure… Singing isn't exactly my thing,'' he replied, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

''Don't worry. The point is to have a good time. No one is going to judge you,'' Moka reassured him, mellowing her smile even more.

''Yeah, maybe… but… in the end, I think that…'' Ichigo muttered, averting his sight uneasily.

''Ah, come on, Ichigo! This party will be a failure if you don't participate!'' Moka explained to him, grabbing his left arm and pulling him up.

''Hey, Moka, what are you-''

''Ssshh! No complaints! We are going to sing now,'' Moka announced to him playfully, placing her left index finger on her mouth.

Like that, Ichigo was left with no other choice but to follow her call and assist her, though he was reluctant. Most likely he would screw up, but absurdly, having Moka so concerned about his personal entertainment made him pretty happy inside. Well, his friends back in his world cared about him, too, but the feeling he was getting from Moka affected him more deeply. His friends knew him for years, and their affection for him was natural, but Moka met him only six days ago, yet she was such a kind girl that she was treating him with as much care as her close friends. Even he wouldn't be **so **open to a person he knew so little! If he had to say, he had never met a girl to pique his interest to such an extent.

Some minutes later…

Following that point, Ichigo accompanied Moka in a duet, as she asked him, singing a pop song about distant lovers. As expected, he encountered some difficulties, but with Moka backing him up, he was able to pull it through without ruining the performance. Moreover, he could actually swear that he enjoyed the whole singing-thing, leading him to wish to repeat the activity.

A few songs by himself – though he made a series of small mistakes –, a few with the boys as a trio, and a few with the girls in duets; the most with Moka. That girl honestly inspired him to let himself loose for some reason, without worrying about embarrassing himself.

* * *

Two and a half hours later…

While everyone was in the middle of competing to be the best singer, Ichigo and Tsukune felt a sudden urge to use the bathroom after all the drinks they had within the past few hours, so they exited the room everyone had reserved and headed for the restroom.

From there, it didn't take them long to finish what they went there to do, and currently they were standing beside each other, washing their hands at adjacent sinks.

''Things have really started heating up back there, don't you think so too, Ichigo?'' Tsukune asked gleefully, smiling.

''No kidding! Moka, Kurumu and Mizore act like they are aiming for a prize,'' Ichigo pointed out casually.

''I can't disagree. They are very passionate people,'' Tsukune replied, maintaining his merry tone. ''They are all very good friends, but I can't deny that there are times where they go a bit overboard about competing with each other… hehe!'' he added with a shy laugh.

That moment, Ichigo switched his casual expression for a serious one. ''You know, Tsukune… mind if I ask something a bit personal?''

''Hm…? No, it's fine. What do you want to know about?''

Before asking his question, the Soul Reaper frowned. ''Well… not that I want to stick my nose into other people's affairs, but… what's the deal with you and the girls?'' Ichigo asked him, shifting his attention to him.

Tsukune looked at Ichigo with a puzzled expression. ''Why are you asking me this, Ichigo?''

''It's just that I can't understand what's happening between you four, plus Ruby… It's crystal clear that the girls have a crush on you, but what about yourself? Is it honestly so hard to make a choice and pick one…? Or you have someone else on your mind?''

It wasn't difficult for Ichigo to figure out the cause behind Moka's desire to resemble another person, considering that she seemed so set on gaining Tsukune's affection. Hence, he deemed it wise to hear the brown-haired boy's thoughts on that matter. It wasn't like him to meddle with stuff that wasn't his business, but either way, he was indebted to Moka, so he didn't wish to see her sad.

Concerning Tsukune now, that series of questions led him to adopt a troubled expression. ''Unfortunately, I can't…'' he answered in a low tone.

''Why?''

''It's about what you asked me last… It's been some months since her death, but still, it's impossible for me to forget about her…'' Tsukune confessed with a pained voice, his eyelids twitching slightly.

Next, he explained to Ichigo about what took place between him and Moka's outer personality in the past, and how he lost the only woman he ever loved in his arms. Ichigo was already informed about all that thanks to his conversation with Moka that night three days ago, which she surprisingly hadn't mentioned to her crush yet. Probably to avoid raising any doubts about her loyalty.

''As you can see, it's not that I don't wish to choose one of them… it's that I can't,'' Tsukune explained, leaning with both hands on the sink, desperate.

''Then why don't you make it clear to them? You **do** realize what they expect from you, right?'' Ichigo asked him again, his serious tone unshaken by Tsukune's convincing performance as a drama queen. He could sympathize with the guy to an extent, for losing the woman he loved, but that didn't have anything to do with the rest of the girls. They also had the right to experience love. Keeping them tied to him without any intention of returning their feelings was entirely wrong.

''It's not as simple as it sounds. Our group may have some pretty strong bonds, but ultimately, something like what you propose could destroy everything… They are the best friends I've ever had; to risk our friendship like that…''

''…And letting them keep up with this delusion is better?''

''But what if I lose them all? I don't think that I could endure another loss… Our group could break apart if I'm not careful, and in addition, I might even lose Moka-san... She was my first friend at Youkai Academy; the one who always stood up for me and protected me. Not to mention that recently I can distinguish more and more traits of the woman I loved in her. ''

Upon that statement, Ichigo's frown deepened. Tsukune wasn't a bad guy in general, but his way of thinking was truly childish, if not egotistical. He was afraid to do the right thing, only to shelter himself from the possible consequences, while negatively affecting the lives of others as a result. If he wasn't one of the people who helped the Soul Reaper when he arrived at that dimension as well as a current close acquaintance of his, Ichigo would surely had punched him at least once to get him man up and correct his ways. As an addition, his relationship with his new allies would crumble if he were to raise a hand to their beloved one.

''Very well… Thanks for telling me,'' Ichigo confirmed, not exactly satisfied, closing their conversation. He got the answers he wanted, so further discussion would be needless. Plus, Tsukune's whipped sight wasn't so pleasant to the Soul Reaper. ''Sorry for forcing you to remember such sorrowful things,'' he apologized casually.

''No, it's okay… It's not like I can forget them anyway,'' Tsukune replied with a weak voice.

Then, both men dried their hands on some towels that hung on the wall and headed back to the room, where the others waited for them.

* * *

One hour later…

After the two boys returned to the room, the party continued for a little longer, but eventually everyone left the café, in search for a place to grab a bite to eat so they could replenish their energy...

That place ended up being a large canteen, where they purchased some sandwiches of their liking, starting to delightfully fill their stomachs. Unfortunately, when everyone least expected it, a motorcycle sped up near Moka, startling her and forcing her to accidentally drop her sandwich on her shirt, dying its fabric with a combination of ketchup and mustard. Like it or not, Moka quickly understood that she would have to bid farewell to that shirt, for it would be extremely difficult to completely remove the stain on its surface, which, to make matters worse, was white.

The only solution the female members of the group concluded on after a brief conference between them was for Moka to buy a new shirt, equally as elegant as the ruined one.

Therefore, wasting no time, they walked toward the boutique where Moka had found her shirt in the first place, entering it altogether because, well, girls will always be girls, and they wanted to take a glimpse of the new fashion products.

The boys remained outside, with Tsukune and Fong Fong chatting among themselves, and Ichigo separating himself from them to go search for a jewelry store he spotted on their way to the karaoke café.

Moka was the person who thought of or arranged most of the things he needed to live in that world, so he had an obligation to repay her. What better method to do so than with a small gift as a token of his appreciation! A gift in the shape of a small hairpin, resembling a bat and made of an imitation crimson ruby with a metallic, golden outline.

Certainly, it didn't sound so grand, but it was the only thing he could offer with the money they lent him.

* * *

After Ichigo bought the gift…

''_All right! Time to return… _'' Ichigo thought, staring momentarily at the small, pink box that contained Moka's gift, before shoving it into his jacket's left pocket.

His business there had been taken care of, so he intended to go back to his friends before they got worried about him… But fate had **other** plans!

When he moved a few steps away from the store, his ears suddenly picked up some loud noises from the street to his right, prompting him to stop in his tracks and turn his sight toward that direction, curious about the source of the noise.

There, he witnessed seven bulky guys, who were probably members of a street gang, having surrounded a short civilian wearing a dark red cloak with a large hood that covered his entire head. Without much thought, Ichigo could tell that it was a case of money extraction. Street crooks really worked the same way, regardless of the dimension.

''Haa… Just my luck!'' Ichigo huffed in exasperation, and attempted to approach them. It was true that he had to return to the others, but his moral principles didn't allow him to turn a blind eye on that crime-in-progress.

Absurdly, he was bound to discover soon that his interference wasn't as necessary as he deduced...

Before Soul Reaper had the chance to take more than two steps, the mysterious cloaked individual switched to a battle stance, and threw a strong palm strike to the gut of one of the crooks, sending him flying backward with great ease. A second later, he grabbed the arms of another, who tried to punch him from behind, brutally burying the attacker into the ground like a pole. What followed was a swift, horizontal chop to the chest of the third crook, and a vicious knee strike to the groin of the fourth one. As for the three remaining team members, they were handled simultaneously with the use of a rough, revolving kick in the face, after the cloaked man performed a mid-air jump.

Ichigo could do nothing but simply stay stunned by the sight, observing the entire scene in awe. That little guy had beaten seven men, three times bigger than him, in less than three minutes.

''Whoa! Talk about skills! That shorty certainly doesn't play around…'' Ichigo commented, amazed, staring at the unknown fighter.

However, that amazement of his would quickly change into worry.

Maintaining their consciousness, and feeling enraged for being treated like small fries by the person they were about to rob, the seven extractors stood up with some effort, and released their monster forms.

Seeing that, Ichigo scowled. _''This doesn't look good. Facing seven monsters at the same time isn't gonna be so eas-_'' he was thinking, when his eyes fell upon something incredible, and they went wide in astonishment.

Totally unfazed by that new development, the little guy resumed his attacks against the transformed crooks, utilizing a series of martial arts that trashed his opponents in a matter of seconds. Ichigo didn't know who the fighter was, but he certainly had earned the Soul Reaper's admiration…

That is, until the cloak-bearer walked above one of his half-conscious opponents, getting ready to mercilessly thrust his right hand into the monster's skull. And he would have succeeded, no doubt, if it wasn't for Ichigo dashing behind him, and grabbing his forearm tightly, preventing the deadly blow.

''HEY! **Are you nuts?!** What are you doing?'' Ichigo asked the fighter, upset. Teaching a good lesson to those wrongdoers was acceptable, but leading them to their death so coldly, without even informing the local authorities, was going overboard.

Ichigo had killed a lot of his opponents, too, but they were all evil spirits, and they threatened innocent lives. Those money-extractors were indeed bad, but not to the point that they required immediate execution.

''Isn't beating them up enou-GUAAH!'' Ichigo was in the middle of asking, but without warning the fighter turned around and grabbed his collarbone with his other hand, smashing the Soul Reaper into the ground.

With that, he freed himself from Ichigo's grasp, jumping backwards to widen the distance between them.

''Nghh… The hell's wrong with y-'' Ichigo tried to ask again, but he was cut off by witnessing the guy jumping in the air, descending right onto him, prepared for a punch. ''You **wish!**'' he exclaimed, and drew back his own right fist, clashing it with his attacker's.

Automatically, a powerful shockwave was released in the area around them, causing the road to blow up, tiny pebbles floating in the atmosphere.

''Knock it off! I don't wanna hurt you!'' Ichigo warned him, without success. The fighter simply landed a meter in front of the Soul Reaper, ignoring his words and rushing instantly against Ichigo, assaulting him with a series of constant hand stabs. Ichigo responded to that by dodging them using his superior reflexes. ''Gkmm… What's your problem…?'' he asked for the third time, avoiding a stab to his ribs. ''I only told you to not kill them...'' he continued, avoiding a stab to his left shoulder. ''Are you a psycho, or something…?'' he asked a fourth time, avoiding a stab to his neck. ''Dammit, calm down, will you?'' he asked again, avoiding a sneaky stab to his heart.

A stab that might have failed to hit his chest, but it was enough to rip his shirt, causing the gift box to fall onto the street below them.

''**Shit!**'' Ichigo exclaimed, wide-eyed, and thought to grab it before they stomped on it by accident. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to, for the unknown fighter wasn't giving him even the slightest chance to shift his attention, making him quite frustrated.

Sick and tired of the entire situation, he concentrated a significant amount of reiatsu to his right leg, and kicked the guy hard to move him several meters away from the box, which he caught without delay and shoved quickly into his other pocket. Next, the orange-haired teen looked up at his opponent only to find out that the fighter had blocked the kick by bringing his left elbow and his left knee together. As it seemed, he was an expert in combat.

Nevertheless, Ichigo's resolve didn't waver upon the realization, with him using his shunpo to travel at lightning speed to the guy's left, going for an elbow strike.

Sensing it, the fighter ducked, avoiding Ichigo's elbow, and placing himself under the Soul Reaper, planning to stab him in the waist simultaneously from both sides.

Ichigo avoided that in accordance by momentarily using his shunpo, so the fighter launched his hands into thin air. Following that, he reappeared in front of the guy in a split second, grabbing both his forearms tightly as a means to restrain his movements.

''Enough is **enough!**'' Ichigo growled, lifting the fighter up roughly to take a better glimpse of his hidden face. Conveniently, because of the lift, the hood covering the mysterious fighter's head slipped off, revealing that the short martial artist was actually a beautiful girl with mid-length, pointy, black hair and crimson eyes, similar to Moka's. ''Huh?! A woman…?'' he questioned, dumbfounded.

As for his captive, the girl showed no signs of anxiety for her capture, and responded to Ichigo's action by giving him a right knee strike a bit over the groin; luckily for him at a spot that wouldn't hurt as much as if she hit him a few centimeters lower. Attacks to the groin are one of men's greatest weaknesses anyway!

Still, the strike was painful enough to force the Soul Reaper to free her and kneel on the floor, grasping at the place she attacked him.

''Uuugghhh… You… That was dirty…'' Ichigo gasped in pain.

''I don't need to fight clean against pathetic pests like you and your friends,'' the girl replied, and drew her right hand to her left shoulder, fingers stiffly stretched, signaling a diagonal chop. In addition, she engulfed it entirely in a dark crimson aura containing dark violet sparks, extending to the elbow's height. ''You presented decent resistance, so I will give you the honor to die by my greatest technique,'' she announced, thrusting her hand at Ichigo, until she was interrupted by a loud scream that saved him at the last second.

''NOOO! **STOOOP!**'' A familiar voice cried suddenly, prompting both of them to turn around, witnessing Moka and her gang running closer to them.

''Mo-'' Ichigo was about to say, but he was cut short.

''**MOKA!**'' the girl yelled enthusiastically, interrupting him.

''Eh…?! Akua-nee-san?!'' Moka flinched as she and her friends arrived at the site.

''Oh, Moka~~~ I missed you **so** much all this time we were apart!'' Akua confessed in great bliss, her eyes welling up with tears.

''I'm happy, too, Nee-san, but what's going on?'' Moka asked, looking at Ichigo. ''Why is Ichigo kneeled down? And why were you about to attack him?''

''Ichigo…? Ah, you mean this lowlife…'' Akua confirmed, turning instantly to Ichigo and then back to Moka. ''Do you know him, Moka?''

To answer her, Moka briefly explained his circumstances and how he recently became one of them.

''I see… Well, I mistook him for an accomplice of those thugs, so it couldn't be helped. I don't submit to criminals,'' Akua clarified straightly.

''Ngk… You wouldn't if you have stayed still for a moment to hear me out,'' Ichigo retorted, standing up.

''Maybe if you hadn't ambushed me from behind?! What kind of decent man touches a woman so familiarly when she isn't looking?''

''You were prepared to kill that guy, and in addition, I didn't know that you were a woman… With this long cloak, and your body, I thought that you were a man.''

Those words made Akua pop several, twitching veins in her forehead. Indeed, she had an undeveloped figure, and she resembled more of a young girl than a grown woman, but hearing others point it out was always something that aggravated her beyond imagination.

Unable to hold her anger back, she engulfed her right hand in the same aura, determined to make Ichigo regret his statement. Thankfully, Moka was there to stop her again, not wishing to watch her friend die by her beloved sister's hands…

After Akua calmed down, Moka asked her for the reason of her sudden visit to the capital, and the former cheerfully answered that she was called for a job and was reaching for some appropriate clothes, handing a paper to the silver-haired vampire. Reading it, she discovered that it was an official offer from Nurari to Akua for the open position of Youkai Academy's gym teacher. The previous one was fired because he cowardly refrained from participating in the final battle against Alucard's monster army, so gym classes were suspended for the time being.

Moka as well as everyone around her that already knew Akua was left utterly speechless at that fact. The only one who took it lightly was Ichigo; clueless about Akua's past as a merciless assassin. Well, as things stood, he would have enough time to figure it out in the near future. Akua had returned to reunite with her beloved younger sister, and she had no intention of being separated from her ever again.

* * *

In a different location…

At the same time those events took place at Youkai Capital, inside a well-guarded fortress, thousands of miles away from the city, two people were discussing in a large office, having devious looks on their faces. They were two youths, one with straight, short white hair and green eyes, and the other with straight, long blond hair and golden eyes. They were two of the worst enemies of Moka and her friends; Kiria Yoshii and Kuyo.

After the criminal organization known as ''Fairy Tale'' was destroyed by Moka's group and their allies, they went into hiding, establishing a new organization of their own, named ''Nemesis''.

''I have to admit that I still can't comprehend how they killed the entire southern goblin tribe…'' Kiria claimed nonchalantly, sitting behind his desk, a wide computer screen diagonal to him.

''Indeed, it's a feat worth questioning, but I'm guessing that with their newly acquired powers as Shinso, that despicable Aono Tsukune and Akashiya Moka managed to gain a formidable amount of power,'' Kuyo replied, his hands entangled in front of his neck while his elbows were placed on the arms of his chair. ''Either way, when our major plan reaches its final stage, even they will be helpless against the terror we will unleash upon the entire world,'' he added with a mischievous smirk.

''I know. I don't need you to remind me, Kuyo… The problem's that until then, it would be pretty troublesome if they happen to find out our goals…''

''Shall I hire another assassin? I have someone in mind that is considered one of the five deadliest of our realm.''

''Yeah… let's go with that. I would love to fight those two Shinso myself, to measure their strength, but our ambitions come first, I guess… Operation ''Dawn of Apocalypse'' must succeed if we wish to get rid of all those spineless youkai and the annoying humans,'' Kiria agreed, and after that focused his gaze on the computer screen, which displayed a spacious area, filled with dozens of oversized lab tanks. ''This is going to be pretty interesting…'' he commented, grinning excitedly.

* * *

**A/N:**

**1) I think that everyone (the men especially) understand that Ichigo didn't lose to Akua because of power levels. Hits in or around the groin just hurt A LOT!**

**2) The reason behind Akua's figure is that she has a loli's body according to the RV Wiki. **

**3) Something important: Things are getting too hectic on my part, so the updates might take a bit longer than the usual. The situation is such that I was even forced to put one of my other, long-chap fics on hiatus. **

**As always, my thanks to my beta reader mrtysh for her amazing work on the chap!**

**See you next time!**


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